A West Virginia couple is facing murder charges after their infant daughter died with a deadly amount of ethanol in her system, allegedly from being given alcohol on a daily basis to “calm her down.”
James Joseph Smith and Angel Talbert were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, child neglect resulting in death, and conspiracy after their daughter was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at Braxton County Memorial Hospital on November 16, 2024.
According to court documents, the baby showed signs of facial discoloration consistent with having been face-down for an extended time. During interviews with police, the parents claimed the baby had no health issues and simply stopped breathing while asleep. However, a postmortem examination told a different story.
Tests conducted by the state medical examiner revealed the baby’s liver contained ethanol levels reading 3.21—an amount that medical professionals confirmed would be fatal for an infant.
Further investigation into the family’s living conditions uncovered unsanitary conditions, including roach infestations and a lack of running water. Investigators noted that the family retrieved water from an outdoor spigot.
On April 14, 2025, police confronted the couple with the toxicology results. Initially, the parents denied any knowledge of how the baby could have ingested alcohol. But during a follow-up interview, Talbert allegedly admitted that Smith regularly rubbed alcohol on the baby’s gums and mouth when she became fussy. She said the practice had been ongoing for about a month before the infant’s death, and that she, too, had participated.
Both parents were arrested and are being held without bond at Central Regional Jail.
Prosecutors say the alcohol application may have been intended to soothe teething discomfort, but the method was reckless and ultimately fatal. The case has sent shockwaves through the community and raised alarms about child welfare awareness and intervention.