WALHALLA, S.C. (AP) - Authorities in South Carolina filed new charges on Monday against a man and a woman accused of involvement in the blunt force trauma death of a 1-year-old boy in their care.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office charged Ronnie Glenn Christen, 30, and Molly Morgan Spivey, 22, with homicide by child abuse following a monthslong investigation with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Oconee County Coroner’s Office, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The two were initially charged with unlawful child neglect in October, days after Rhyder Peay went into cardiac arrest and died, news outlets reported. An autopsy determined the child had suffered multiple injuries to his head, face, back and chest, the coroner’s office said.
Spivey, who posted bond on the first charge, was taken into custody again Monday evening and booked back into jail without bond, the statement said. Christen, who has been incarcerated since his October arrest, was served warrants in jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
If convicted, the two face up to life in prison. It’s unclear whether they have attorneys who can comment on their behalves.
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