A decision about bond for an Augusta couple facing child abuse charges following the death of a second baby in their care is delayed until Jan. 5, or until more information about the cause of the infant’s death becomes available.
Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig told attorneys Friday, Nov. 10, in Richmond County Superior Court that the reality of how time-consuming it can be to get the medical information necessary prohibits a rush to judgment about bond for either Tyrone C. Scott, 36, or Salena D. Tyler, 23.
Scott and Tyler were arrested Oct. 19 following the death of their 6-month-old son. Their arrests occurred just days after District Attorney Jared Williams’ office closed the case in the Feb. 13, 2021, death of their first child, Travis.
Richmond County Sheriff officer were called to the AU Medical Center on Oct. 18 because of an unattended death. Tyler told officers that she and her husband put the baby down on his back on a recliner in the living room and went into another room to watch TV. About 40 minutes later, they found the baby unresponsive and called 911, said Assistant District Attorney Kevin Davis.
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Right now, there are no medical records available or any results from an autopsy, Davis said.
It is the fact that this is this is the second child of Scott and Tyler to die in infancy that’s troubling, Davis said. Their first child was born premature and had several medical issues, but the medical professionals involved in that baby’s care reported compliance issues with Scott and Tyler over the care the baby needed, Davis said.
The autopsy report on the first baby’s death wasn’t completed until April of this year and in it, the medical examiner ruled the cause of death “undetermined”, Davis said. With that, the case was closed on Oct. 7 and 12 days later there’s a second death of a baby, he said.
Defense attorney Zachary Goolsby, who represented Scott in his first bond hearing last year when a $60,000 bond was granted, said the prior case was clearly flawed. The case was closed because there wasn’t evidence to pursue a prosecution, Goolsby said.
Scott is married, a high school graduate and maintains steady employment, Goolsby said. All of his family live in this area. The family has suffered two extreme tragedies and then Scott and Tyler are arrested on top of it, Goolsby said.
Davis countered that there is much unknown at this point, but there has been steady involvement by the Department of Family and Children Services in the family’s lives since the birth of their first child because Tyler tested positive for marijuana use after giving birth.
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Neighbors have also expressed concerns in DFCS reports about the conditions of the home where the babies lived, Davis said.
The judge reminded all present that everyone is entitled to bond as a constitutional right unless there is one of more limited circumstances present — the accuse poses a flight risk, or a danger to the community, or of committing a new crime or of obstruction justice.
Noting that only 22 days have passed since the death of the child, it would be impossible to get the information together to make important determinations about the case, Craig said. The law in Georgia sets a deadline that if someone is arrested but not indicted within 90 days, bond must be set.
Craig continued the case until Jan. 5.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.Â
