A judge again denied bond Monday for Tyrone Scott, one of two parents charged in connection with the deaths of two infants within two years.
Scott, 36, and Salena Tyler, 23, are charged with cruelty to children and concealing a death after their six-month-old son Samson was found unresponsive in their home last October.
Less than two years earlier, their 13-month-old son, Travis also died.
Since Scott’s last bond hearing, autopsy findings for Samson have come back.
Augusta Assistant District Attorney Kyle Davis said the medical examiner found no evidence of trauma or disease.
While the child’s position on soft furniture created a “significant risk of asphyxia,” ultimately the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as sudden infant death syndrome, with the manner of death undetermined he said. SIDS refers to the otherwise inexplicable deaths of infants, typically under 12 months old.
In Travis’ 2021 death, prosecutors dropped the charges after an autopsy found his cause of death to be undetermined, a month before Samson died.
The couple gave conflicting accounts of the hours before Samson died, but admitted to drinking whiskey, smoking marijuana and leaving the infant unattended, Davis said. A search warrant of their Watkins Street rental revealed roach-infested conditions, moldy food and the odor of marijuana. A marijuana pipe lay next to Samson’s pacifier, he said.
The state ultimately found insufficient evidence to prosecute the couple for Travis’ death, and a similar outcome awaits for Scott, defense attorney Zachary Goolsby said.
Goolsby claimed investigators are relying heavily on an ER nurse who recognized the couple and informed police the baby’s temperature was just 95 degrees. But hypothermia is a potential cause under SIDS, while many babies survive with lower body temperatures, Goolsby said.
The couple’s medical history points to “genetic issues” that led to Tyler having multiple miscarriages and premature deliveries, he said. Samson was born with a low birth weight and had a record of slow weight gain, he said.
Richmond County Superior Court Judge John Flythe denied the bond request but said he’ll give the case “priority” in scheduling.
