Pre-trial hearings for women facing charges in death of baby at a daycare

RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Four of the five women charged in connection to the death of a four-month-old girl at a Red Bay daycare appeared in court Wednesday.

Court records say Autumn Wells was laying on a nursing pillow when she died, which is illegal in the state of Alabama.

Autumn Wells’ mother, Taylor Wells was at the hearings on Wednesday.

“I am going to be at every hearing, every trial because she can not be here so I have to be here for her,” Wells said.

Police said Autumn died at the Tiny Tigers Daycare in Red Bay in March.

“She is always there I see her in the sky, I see her in the birds I see her everywhere,” Taylor Wells said. “She was just beautiful and so everything beautiful I see her in.”

Payton Gann and Madison McCalpin were charged with manslaughter and false reporting in Autumn’s death.

The district attorney’s office said McCalpin applied for youthful offender status. McCalpin was 17 at the time of Autumn’s death but has since turned 18. She has a hearing to determine her status in September.

The daycare’s owner, Angelene Chamblee is facing six counts of child care act violation and two counts of forgery.

Two other daycare workers, Teia Gann and Hannah Letson, are charged with tampering with a witness.

Assistant District Attorney Jeff Barksdale said Letson, Chamblee, Payton Gann and Teia Gann will be back in court in a few weeks for another hearing.

If no plea agreement is reached, Barksdale said the cases will move to trial.

Copyright 2022 WAFF. All rights reserved.