Court proceedings continued for a Twentynine Palms woman accused of assaulting and subsequently murdering her 3-month-old baby nearly six years ago.
Friday (June 4), Kaylee Ledford, 32, appeared in court for further negotiations in the case. Ledford is accused of causing the death of her 3-month old son in the fall of 2015 after she claimed that she had fallen asleep on her right side on the couch with the baby between her and the couch.
When she woke up, Ledford said she was afraid she had smothered the baby and began CPR until paramedics arrived to take over. The unresponsive baby was taken to the Naval Hospital on board the Combat Center and then transferred to Loma Linda Medical Center after suffering two cardiac events.
Doctors at Loma Linda said the baby arrived at their hospital brain dead, with retinal bleeding, and abdominal hemorrhaging—symptoms that are not consistent with an adult lying on top of a baby on a couch.
Investigators have also added that the baby’s ventilator machine at the hospital had been disconnected multiple times, something that would take a great amount of effort, and each time, Ledford was in the room alone with her child.
Investigators also mentioned that Ledford had another son who died at about 3 months of age three years earlier. Ledford was arrested almost a year after her son’s death, on July 28, 2016, and charged with murder and child abuse, and has been in jail ever since with her bail set at $1 million.
Kaylee Ledford’s next court appearance has been scheduled for August 13, 2021.
