Kentucky couple charged with reckless homicide after infant found dead following reported miscarriage

(LibertyInsiderNews.com) – A Kentucky couple’s trip to the hospital for what they described as a miscarriage spiraled into reckless homicide charges after police say an infant was found dead outside their home.

Story Snapshot

Kentucky State Police charged Deeann Bennett, 27, and Charles Bennett, 32, in Owsley County after a year-long investigation into an infant’s death.
Troopers say the case began with a November 29, 2024, 911 call tied to a woman transported to a hospital reporting a possible miscarriage.
Police say the couple told authorities an infant remained at their residence, where troopers later found an unresponsive infant over an embankment.
A grand jury indicted the couple on January 22, 2026; formal charges were filed February 9, 2026, and both were jailed pending a March arraignment.
Key facts—gestational age, cause of death, and the precise circumstances—remain unclear publicly while advocates warn prosecutions can deter medical care.

What Police Say Happened in Owsley County

Kentucky State Police reported receiving a 911 call on November 29, 2024, after a woman was transported to a local hospital and reported a possible miscarriage. Troopers said that while at the hospital, the couple disclosed that an infant remained at their home on Lewis Lane in Booneville. Police then responded to the residence and said they found an unresponsive infant over an embankment outside the home, where the county coroner pronounced the infant dead.

Authorities have not released an autopsy finding publicly, and the reporting available does not state the gestational age or clarify how long the pregnancy had progressed. Those missing details matter because the legal, medical, and moral questions can change depending on whether the case involves a late-term birth event versus an earlier pregnancy loss. For now, the verified public record centers on the timeline, the location of the body, and the charges filed.

Charges Filed and Where the Case Stands Now

Deeann Bennett, 27, faces charges including reckless homicide, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and concealing the birth of an infant. Charles Bennett, 32, faces reckless homicide and concealing the birth of an infant. Kentucky State Police said the case followed a year-long investigation, and an Owsley County grand jury returned indictments on January 22, 2026. Formal charges were filed on February 9, 2026.

Both defendants were reported held at the Three Forks Regional Jail pending arraignment expected in March 2026. Available reporting does not include statements from defense counsel, and no trial date has been reported. Police have also said the investigation is ongoing, which typically means additional reports, forensic results, or witness interviews could still be pending. Until those records are disclosed in court, outside observers are left with partial information and competing narratives.

Unanswered Questions That Will Drive the Court Fight

Public reporting leaves several core questions unresolved: the cause of death, the timeline between the medical emergency and the discovery outside the home, and how officials are using the word “infant.” Commentators have warned that in some jurisdictions “infant” can be used broadly, potentially referring to a fetus depending on gestational age. Without an autopsy summary and clearer medical context, it is not possible from the available sources to pin down the underlying facts beyond what law enforcement has described.

Why This Case Is Fueling Bigger Debates in Kentucky

The Bennett case is also being discussed in the wider post-Roe environment, where advocates have tracked a large number of “pregnancy-related” arrests nationwide since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In Kentucky, recent prosecutions tied to pregnancy outcomes have raised alarms about whether frightened families might avoid hospitals during emergencies. From a conservative perspective, the public has an interest in equal justice and due process—meaning investigators must prove their case with hard evidence, not assumptions, and courts must stick to clear statutory definitions.

That due-process lens matters because the stakes run both directions. If a child died from criminal negligence, the state has a duty to prosecute. If the facts instead point to a medical crisis and confused decisions made under duress, Americans should be wary of turning tragedy into a dragnet that chills people from seeking care or that expands government power through ambiguous terminology. The next real clarity should come at arraignment and through discovery, when evidence—not headlines—starts driving outcomes.