KY KY - Katie Gray, 10 months, West Paducah, 29 Nov 2004

[LovelyPigeon]

Jeana, read back at #22 to see what else police have. The parents initally lied to their friends about what happened, and waited hours to seek help for Katie.

I don't know what else LE might have in the way of evidence.

What I'm thinking is that some tough charges like murder or manslaughter might be filed, then plea bargain offered if the parents cooperate and confess.

These parents aren't stellar quality but I don't know if what happened was an accident they tried to cover up or something else.

 

[fourboys]

PADUCAH, Ky. - The parents of a 10-month-old girl who has been missing for 11 months have been charged with the infant's death.

A McCracken County grand jury indicted Johnny and Sandy Gray on charges of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Katie Michelle Gray, who disappeared Nov. 29. The Grays have said they lost their daughter when Johnny Gray could not hang on to the child's baby seat as it was removed from a car that stalled in a flooded Massac Creek.

Investigators have not found Katie's body nor a car seat after searching the creek and the wooded area near the Gray's former apartment.

The Grays also face charges of possession on marijuana, tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of an accident. McCracken Commonwealth Attorney Tim Kaltenbach said arrest warrants have been issued for the Grays, who now live in Tennessee.

According to the manslaughter indictment, the Grays either "wantonly caused the death of Katie Gray or wantonly failed to make a proper effort to prevent the death of Katie Gray."

"It's an awful case that stays with you day and night," McCracken County sheriff's Detective Tom Emery said.

The Grays are scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 16.

Continued:

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/13030967.htm

 

[Marie]

out of curiousity, why would you bring a diaper bag with you on a midnight drive to get a baby to sleep?

I've done the driving at night thing with my daughter, but I never brought her diaper bag along with us.

I suppose it could've already been in the car. It just seems like those things were just thrown into the river.

I hope and pray that I am wrong.

and for what it's worth, the woman could've been pregnant during the "accident" right??

We keep our diaper bag in the car permanently. We only take it out to restock it.

If this wasn't an accident... I wonder what they did do with the carseat? Pretty strange that it also hasn't turned up in the water, something that big.

 

[Casshew]

It is strange that the car seat has not shown up somewhere :waitasec:

 

[LovelyPigeon]

I'm just back from a football weekend at Auburn, and reading the local paper. As expected by the general public, the Grays were indicted on manslaughter charges.

I don't know how this case will proceed, since general consensus around here is that the sheriff's office has never believed that Katie was dropped in the creek. Will there be plea offerings for lesser charges if the Grays confess and tell LE where the body is?

Otherwise, it would seem that the prosecutor will be pressing in court for charges that aren't generally believed by LE: that Katie was dropped in Massac Creek because her parents were drunk/stoned at the time.

It may get a little complicated unless the parents confess that something happened to Katie, her body inside the car seat was disposed of, and the Massac Creek story hatched to cover the actual circumstances of her death and the location of her body.

Meanwhile, local SAR have no leads on further areas to search. People I know that have been involved in searches in and around the creek say that the car seat could not have traveled downstream into the Ohio River because there is too much obstruction by fallen trees, limbs, brush, and other trash in the creek bed.

 

[LovelyPigeon]

According to today's paper, searches have begun again in the Massac Creek area, and some searching in an adjoining county where the mother of Katie has family that has some acreage.

There's a little controversy over who's in charge of searching for Katie now. The sheriff's wife has taken over, or maybe the detective in charge is still in charge.

Right now is the first time since last November that Massac Creek has been dry enough to walk its length to the Ohio River. Searchers have been doing just that, as well as searching the area around the home of the friends where the Grays first went to tell that Katie was missing.

There's been no trace of Katie or the car seat found anywhere.

 

[Casshew]

searching in an adjoining county where the mother of Katie has family that has some acreage.

Well thats interesting :waitasec:

 

[Chrystal Newman]

Are there anynew updates on this baby? I can't help but sit here and think about all these poor little babies are out there in the cold winter air. I just can't imagine living or not. It's so cols and dark so sad.

 

[LovelyPigeon]

There are no updates, but the case will probably go to trial without a confession and plea deal. It will be a first in this county in the past decade that a case goes to trial without a body. Katie is still not found, and no sign of her, either. No body and no car seat...and it's more than a year now.

"In the 8 years I've been here, we've never tried a case without a body" said Chris Hollowell, Assistant McCracken County Commonwealth Attorney.

It will be up to the prosecution to prove that the Gray's knowingly put Katie at risk that night at Massac Creek...and engaged in behavior that ultimately caused their child's death.

 

[LovelyPigeon]

Update today is only that no trial date has yet been set.

2nd-degree manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence in the presumed death of baby Katie Gray are the charges.

I still hope for a confession that leads to the recovery of Katie's remains.

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

I feel so utterly disguested and outraged at SO many things that have happened. Accidents happen, but what disgusting filthy parents would NOT report their child missing when it happened?! HOW do you stop and buy ciggs? WHY would you have ANOTHER child? WHY are you DRINKING still?

 

[Chrystal Newman]

Has any one heard anything about little Katie or her dimwitted parents?

 

[Bobbisangel]

Are the parents in jail?

 

[LovelyPigeon]

Today's Paducah Sun says there is a pre-trial conference today at 1:30. The Grays' attorney, Mike Ward, will meet with Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Chris Hollowell before that conference to discuss "a possible plea agreement". At the conference there will either be a guilty plea resulting in no trial, or an innocent plea to a trial date set.

In a court document (bill of particulars) filed yesterday, there is an new assertion that the parents returned to their house to smoke marijuana before telling friends that Katie had been swept down the creek hours before. Both parents had marijuana and other drugs in their blood tests done by police after Katie was reported missing by friends of the Grays.

Both parents are in jail awaiting trial, and have been there since early November.

 

[aussiegran]

:furious: I dont believe she was swept away in the river .IMO they buried her somewhere and I hope LE gets one of them to turn against the other one.

 

[LovelyPigeon]

If she was put somewhere else, I hope one or both parents will admit where so her remains can be located. It just seems impossible that Katie, strapped into a car seat, could not have been found in Massac Creek.

 

[LovelyPigeon]

Here's a link to the story on a local tv show's website:
http://www.wpsdtv.com/articles/stories/public/200602/08/0iin_local_news.html

 

[petra]

http://www.wpsdtv.com/articles/stories/public/200602/08/0iiq_local_news.html


no plea deal...so case is continued

ETA-they did not plead guilty, so case will go to trial and be moved to different venue. attorney needs more time to review evidence..no date set for trial

 

[LovelyPigeon]

The hearing was continued, without a plea or a deal arrived at. The Grays' attorney wants more time to go over the evidence presented by the prosecution before advising either a plea deal or a not-guilty plea. The pre-trial conference was rescheduled for March 31.

The Grays will be in court on Monday, Feb 13, for a bond hearing, asking for a bond reduction. They've been in McCracken county jail since Nov 2.

From today's Paducah Sun:

"The manslaughter charge carries up to 10 years in prison. A second felony charge, tampering with physical evidence, carries up to five years. The couple also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and leaving the scene of an accident. Johnnie Gray has a third misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended license.

But it's Sandy Gray who the potential of spending the most time in prison if convicted. added to her charges was a perisistent felony offender indictment, which carries up to a 20 years in prison. She had a prior drug conviction and probation violation."

If the case goes to trial, Ward says he will ask for a change of venue.

 

[LovelyPigeon]

On Monday, Judge Hines refused to reduce bail for Johnnie and Sandy Gray, and would not change the cash bond to a property or surety bond.