GA - Josiah Noel Seright, 3 1/2 months old, dies after being left in wet blanket next to air conditioner - Aug 7, 2024

[Clearsky]

https://www.wjbf.com/news/crime-news/washington-co-infant-dead-autopsy-scheduled/

 

[Niner]

@clearskies1 - the State is actually Georgia - not Washington {State} - maybe have a mod change that for you. It is Washington County in Georgia.
Unfortunately, I won't be following this one - no access to court site.

 

[abyquinn]

Baby dies after being wrapped in wet blanket and placed in front of air conditioner, authorities say

The baby's mother is among the three people charged with his death.

www.wlbt.com

What a shocking contrast to the death of 2 year old Parker whose father left her in her car seat, in the car when it was 109* out so he could play video games. 3 people have been arrested in GA for leaving baby Josiah in his car seat, wrapped in a wet blanket in front of the AC.

 

[amandab]

Wrapped in a wet blanket, and in his car seat.

 

[Rikissa]

The question is, did they do that to try to cool down the baby if he had a fever? If so, to set the unit to 61 °F was far too low, and to place him in a car seat was stupidity.

 

[abyquinn]

The question is, did they do that to try to cool down the baby if he had a fever? If so, to set the unit to 61 °F was far too low, and to place him in a car seat was stupidity.

There was no mention of the baby being ill and/or feverish, or if it was 90* out and they were just trying to cool him off. Either way leaving him in the car seat was the first mistake.

I looked at probably 10 articles, they were all except 1 a reprint of the first. September Seright, the 19 yr old mother of Josiah Seright, took a shower, the baby was in the car seat in the bathroom with her. The car seat was wet and the baby was wrapped in a wet blanket when he was placed in front of or near the AC that was set at 61*, for an unknown amount of time.

Mom was on a couch, 2 other adults, Benny Nash, 39, & 42 yr old, Lamisha Seright, were on the bed, at the Budget Inn, in Augusta, GA. SO responded at 202am, the baby was unresponsive. Josiah was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 230am. The 3 were charged with felony murder and 2nd degree Child Cruelty. They were arrested & booked 8/6 into the Richmond County Jail, where they remain.

Stark difference to the treatment the parents received in AZ last month.

 

[daybreaking]

What a shocking contrast to the death of 2 year old Parker whose father left her in her car seat, in the car when it was 109* out so he could play video games. 3 people have been arrested in GA for leaving baby Josiah in his car seat, wrapped in a wet blanket in front of the AC.

In his car seat inside the room.

It's a common warning not to leave children inside hot cars.

However, I can see someone young having a lapse in judgment and not making the connection to a child freezing to death in the middle of summer, or even thinking this would cool the child down and/or dry off the seat and blanket in a healthy way if they're used to using swamp coolers.

 

[Charlot123]

There was no mention of the baby being ill and/or feverish, or if it was 90* out and they were just trying to cool him off. Either way leaving him in the car seat was the first mistake.

I looked at probably 10 articles, they were all except 1 a reprint of the first. September Seright, the 19 yr old mother of Josiah Seright, took a shower, the baby was in the car seat in the bathroom with her. The car seat was wet and the baby was wrapped in a wet blanket when he was placed in front of or near the AC that was set at 61*, for an unknown amount of time.

Mom was on a couch, 2 other adults, Benny Nash, 39, & 42 yr old, Lamisha Seright, were on the bed, at the Budget Inn, in Augusta, GA. SO responded at 202am, the baby was unresponsive. Josiah was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 230am. The 3 were charged with felony murder and 2nd degree Child Cruelty. They were arrested & booked 8/6 into the Richmond County Jail, where they remain.

Stark difference to the treatment the parents received in AZ last month.

Chances are, a first-time mom, and two sleeping adults, one of whom was the baby's grandmother. Call it sad occurrence, stupidity, lack of foresingt, but not murder. Four people in one hotel room with an AC...

 

[PromotedPawn]

I'm confused about why the other people were arrested. Was it somehow their responsibility to make sure mom knew the basics of caring got a baby.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Is this a case of an honest accident (trying to keep a baby cool in a hot hotel room without understanding what they did was actually unsafe?), or is it suspected they were trying to cover up something else?

I think we definitely need more facts. On the surface, it appears they are throwing the book at some underprivileged folks, IMO.

(And comparing this case to the Arizona case, I think $$$ talked in Arizona. JMO.)

 

[clearskies1]

@clearskies1 - the State is actually Georgia - not Washington {State} - maybe have a mod change that for you. It is Washington County in Georgia.
Unfortunately, I won't be following this one - no access to court site.

Just seeing your post @Niner. That wasn't me who posted this thread. Was someone with a similar user name. I'm not following this either.

 

[SouthEnd]

Is this a case of an honest accident (trying to keep a baby cool in a hot hotel room without understanding what they did was actually unsafe?), or is it suspected they were trying to cover up something else?

I think we definitely need more facts. On the surface, it appears they are throwing the book at some underprivileged folks, IMO.

(And comparing this case to the Arizona case, I think $$$ talked in Arizona. JMO.)

100% agreed. The fact that the Arizona case and this young mother and her family were treated so differently is shocking to me.

I hope that the LE will share additional information.

 

[Goecke]

The high was apparently 89 degrees that day. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/augusta/30901/august-weather/328218
I'm from Georgia originally, and given the humidity, it usually feels much hotter than it actually is in the summer. I'm also curious as to why the two other people were charged with the same thing as the mother if they were asleep at the time?

 

[abyquinn]

The high was apparently 89 degrees that day. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/augusta/30901/august-weather/328218
I'm from Georgia originally, and given the humidity, it usually feels much hotter than it actually is in the summer. I'm also curious as to why the two other people were charged with the same thing as the mother if they were asleep at the time?

Thank you for adding that. It really sounds like they were just trying to cool poor Josiah off. He died due to lack of knowledge, not malice. What is the difference in this and that poor baby who was left on a boat in 120* weather, while everyone else played in the water to stay cool?

I’ve been looking for updates, so far nothing. I don’t understand this at all. There was no mention of anything illicit going on. There’s been nothing in the news that would explain all of them being charged or why they put them all in jail.

 

[aceofswords]

I live in Augusta, and have followed this story because I had the same questions about why all three were charged. Jared Williams, our DA, has said that Diane (the grandmother) claims that September (the mom) is "exceptionally and developmentally slow." The impression is being given in the local news that, even though September is the one who put Josiah in front of the air conditioner, because of her developmental disabilities, Diane and/or Antonio Nash should have been checking on Josiah.

Our temperatures in Augusta are miserably humid, with the heat index often being ten or more degrees hotter than the actual temperature. If it was 89 degrees that day, it likely felt close to 100. As young as September is, particularly if she does have developmental issues like her mother says she does, I could totally believe that she actually thought she was being a good mom to Josiah by trying to keep him cool. It's all very sad.

 

[Mimimom]

I live in Augusta, and have followed this story because I had the same questions about why all three were charged. Jared Williams, our DA, has said that Diane (the grandmother) claims that September (the mom) is "exceptionally and developmentally slow." The impression is being given in the local news that, even though September is the one who put Josiah in front of the air conditioner, because of her developmental disabilities, Diane and/or Antonio Nash should have been checking on Josiah.

Our temperatures in Augusta are miserably humid, with the heat index often being ten or more degrees hotter than the actual temperature. If it was 89 degrees that day, it likely felt close to 100. As young as September is, particularly if she does have developmental issues like her mother says she does, I could totally believe that she actually thought she was being a good mom to Josiah by trying to keep him cool. It's all very sad.

Its very sad, I wonder if the grandparents were Josiahs guardians ? Which is why they are being charge

 

[aceofswords]

Its very sad, I wonder if the grandparents were Josiahs guardians ? Which is why they are being charge

I don't know, although I wondered that about the grandma after I heard the DA mention September's developmental issues. As far as I know, the news hasn't even said if Antonio Nash is relative. His name and age (39) were given, but no explanation of how he was connected to grandma or mom.

 

[Shamrock1]

In most articles about hot car deaths, there is a mention about young children being more susceptible to heat. There were multiple such deaths in June/July. If she combined this awareness of heat danger with the misconception that fevers need to be brought down via cool water, I can see why she’d place him near an air conditioner. Poor mother may have just been trying her best - and trying her best in a single hotel room in 90+ humid weather. JMO.

 

[Ladyotm]

I live in Augusta, and have followed this story because I had the same questions about why all three were charged. Jared Williams, our DA, has said that Diane (the grandmother) claims that September (the mom) is "exceptionally and developmentally slow." The impression is being given in the local news that, even though September is the one who put Josiah in front of the air conditioner, because of her developmental disabilities, Diane and/or Antonio Nash should have been checking on Josiah.

Our temperatures in Augusta are miserably humid, with the heat index often being ten or more degrees hotter than the actual temperature. If it was 89 degrees that day, it likely felt close to 100. As young as September is, particularly if she does have developmental issues like her mother says she does, I could totally believe that she actually thought she was being a good mom to Josiah by trying to keep him cool. It's all very sad.

Do you think Jared is trying to send a message? This is so backwards and feels so wrong. Josiah was asleep, it was at night, IIRC. Granted at that age you would wonder why he hadn't stirred or waken for a bottle earlier. But to charge them with felony murder! Izzy died at the bottom of a pool and his swim instructor couldn't give a reason why he was in that water unsupervised...and she gets a misdemeanor.

 

[Charlot123]

In most articles about hot car deaths, there is a mention about young children being more susceptible to heat. There were multiple such deaths in June/July. If she combined this awareness of heat

danger with the misconception that fevers need to be brought down via cool water, I can see why she’d place him near an air conditioner. Poor mother may have just been trying her best - and trying her best in a single hotel room in 90+ humid weather. JMO.

That single hotel room is very telling. Three adults and a baby, and I don’t know about you but I’d feel sleepy in a stuffy room. Now, the assumption that they were preventing the kid from overheating by placing him close to conditioner is not so unusual. During my last flight, it took me a while to realize why I was feeling cold (these were very well-trained flight attendants in a good company that put overhead AC to the maximum, and they should have known better. Fortunately, I am not a child.) Plus, A/C, especially not a good one, can be the source of bacteria, remember the famous Legionnaire’s disease. In fact, I would like to know if P/M took samples of the baby’s lung tissues for this pathogen instead of putting all the blame on a not-too-educated, but obviously, not-ill-meaning family. I’d definitely examine an A/C unit, too.