A Kentucky woman was charged with murder on Tuesday after allegedly killing her 17-month-old baby, according to court documents and Bell County Commonwealth attorney Lisa Fugate.
Erica Lawson, 21, is charged with murder (aggravating circumstances – intentional death of a child), failure to report neglect or abuse of child dependency, first-degree criminal abuse and first-degree willful endangerment, the court finds court records. She was held Wednesday at Leslie County Detention Center on $1 million bond.
Middlesboro police said they began investigating the case in late July when the 17-month-old girl died. The investigation later led to Lawson’s arrest.
“Lt. Detective [Barry] Cowan and joint investigator Caleb Ayers diligently investigated hundreds of leads, including multiple interviews,” the Middlesboro Police Department said in an Aug. 4 Facebook post. “Along with the evidence collected during the study was DNA from subjects who were questioned about their role in this incident.”
Lawson will appear in court again in November for arraignment.
“Today I had the privilege of presenting the case against Erica Lawson to a Bell County Grand Jury,” Fugate wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “I am proud that Erica Lawson is now being charged with the murder of her 17-month-old baby.”
