Alabama Mother Arrested Months After 2-Year-Old Daughter’s Death
An Alabama mother has been arrested and charged in connection to her daughter’s death, according to reports.
Farrah Bates is facing manslaughter charges after her daughter Ariyah Crawford passed away in July. Tarrant police say July 18th officers responded to a home in the 220o block of Old Pinson Highway after a call came in about an unresponsive 2-year-old girl.
Upon arrival, officers found the little girl, who apparently lacked a pulse. Her mother, Farrah Bates, told police that the two were sleeping together in her bed at the time of the incident. The girl was transported to Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy then revealed that fentanyl was present in her system at the time of her death.
Bates is now facing reckless manslaughter charges four months after her daughter died.
Ariyah’s death raised suspicions of possible foul play from Tarrant City Mayor Wayman Newton, so much that he mentioned it in his lawsuit against the police chief.
A civil suit filed last week by Tarrant’s Mayor Waymon Newton against Chief Wendell Major claims the chief removed all public safety dispatchers’ access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
The federal system allows law enforcement access to a person’s criminal records.
Newton said in a Monday night city council meeting, “Because the chief removed dispatch access to NCIC we had no way of confirming or knowing that information should that person come to our city,”
“The mayor made a bad decision. A bone headed decision to move the dispatches from the police department. And he’s trying to use this court and cover that up for political purposes,” Chief Major said.
Newton claims in the suit Major has a history of making questionable decisions, “which potentially affects the safety of Tarrant residents, businesses, and employees, and exposes the city to legal liability.”
The mayor references the 2-year-old’s death as an example in the lawsuit. It says mayor newton asked the chief if foul play was suspected. The chief responded, “no, no trauma observed awaiting autopsy,” but he also admitted officers found suspicious cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs in the home.
After the coroner’s report came back, the complaint says the mayor asked the chief why is he not charging anyone with homicide and or child endangerment. The chief says he was not at liberty to discuss the case because it was an active investigation.
On November 14th the case was reassigned to the interim police chief and TPD’s Det. Crosby and recommenced the case with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office who all ultimately brought charges on November 21st against Bates.
She’s also charged with chemical endangerment of exposing a child to controlled substances. She was booked into the Jefferson County Jail just before 5 p.m Tuesday on a $90,000 bond. Before 10 p.m. Bates had bonded out.
Chief Wendell said before he was put on administrative after the lawsuit his officers were still investigating the case and waiting on the toxicology results for the substances collected from the house. As of November 21st when the charges were filed, he did not know what information prompted officers to obtain a warrant.
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