Brandy Lynn Parker (Blue Ridge Regional Jail)
A 39-year-old woman in Virginia has been arrested more than three years after she allegedly killed her 1-year-old child, telling authorities that she found the dead toddler “stuck” in her couch. Brandy Lynn Parker was taken into custody on Wednesday morning and charged with one count of felony murder and one count of child abuse and neglect resulting in serious injury, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a press release from the Lynchburg Police Department, officers at about 10:40 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2020, responded to a 911 call regarding an infant that was found not breathing at an apartment complex located in the 80 block of Terre Drive. The caller was the toddler’s mother, later identified as Parker.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders with LPD took over life-saving procedures already being administered by Parker until Lynchburg Fire Department personnel made it to the address. Medics with the fire department attempted to render life-saving aid to the toddler and transported the child via ambulance to Lynchburg General Hospital. Unfortunately, the child was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the facility.
A search warrant issued to take a blood sample from Parker provided additional information regarding the circumstances of the young child’s untimely death.
The document states that when Parker placed the 911 call to LPD, she told the emergency dispatcher that her other child, who is 2 years old, “fell asleep on top of the [victim] on the couch. Parker allegedly added that she located the victim “stuck in the couch,” per the warrant.
Additionally, after transporting the victim to the hospital, officers on the scene said that they “detected the odor of alcohol coming from Parker.” When questioned about the smell, Parker allegedly admitted to police that had consumed alcohol the previous evening.
An agent with Child Protective Services (CPS) was called to the scene. Police say that Parker submitted to a PBT (preliminary blood test) administered by the CPS agent. The test showed that she had a blood alcohol content of 0.14.
Investigators then took a sample of blood taken from Parker for further testing, saying it was “due to the fact she was the sole caretaker of the [victim] and 2-year-old at the time of the infant’s death.”
In addition to Parker’s blood, the warrant states that police also took a bottle, blanket, formula, two onesies, and “swabs of the suspected area of death” from the home.
Parker is currently being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail without bond. She is scheduled to appear in Lynchburg Circuit Court at 9 a.m. on July 10.