The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said an infant that was seven weeks old died on Monday.
The investigation is ongoing by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department, SLED SVU, and the Oconee County Coroner’s Office.
According to officials, deputies responded to an apartment complex on 50
Keoway Dr. in Seneca on Monday in reference to a cardiac arrest of an infant.
OCSO Investigators responded to the scene along with the Coroner to investigate the death and
the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Child Death Task Force was notified to assist
with the investigation.
Upon arrival, deputies found the infant who was unresponsive. CPR was started and
the infant was transported to the hospital where the infant was pronounced dead a short time later.
While investigating, a search warrant was obtained for the home and unlawful narcotics
were found in the home.
An autopsy was conducted on Wednesday morning. The coroner said that the infant died from blunt force head trauma, and the manner of death is classified as a homicide.
The infant has been identified as Theodore “Theo” Sage Raynor.
The parents of the deceased infant, Sheila Raynor, and Michael Blackwell Jr. were taken into custody and were both charged with the following crimes:
- unlawful neglect of a child/helpless person
- poss. of cocaine 1st
- poss. of narcotic in schedule 1 and schedule 2 1st offense
- poss. of controlled substance schedule 1 to 5, 1st offense
Blackwell Jr. and Raynor were both booked into the Oconee County Detention Center. Their bonds were each set at $55,000.
The investigation is still ongoing to determine the cause of death of the infant victim.
Source : Count On 2 News
