A 4-month-old boy from west Texas died Saturday while in the care of his great aunt and her husband in Searcy, according to police.
The Searcy Police Department said in a news release that the infant was found around 11 a.m. that day inside a unit at Briarwood Apartments, 2103 West Beebe Capps Expressway, during a welfare check.
Inside the apartment, police spoke with Jeff High, 55, while he was lying on a couch. He told authorities, "We have a dead baby," before pointing an officer in the direction of his wife, Dianna O'Bryan, 57.
The "disoriented" woman had the child concealed in her arm, according to the news release. Police said the infant was pronounced dead at the scene.
High and O'Bryan, both of Searcy, had picked up the baby Thursday from the home of the infant's mother in Odessa, Texas, said police spokesman Sgt. Steve Hernandez.
Each have been arrested on charges of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor with conduct creating risk of death or serious injury, a class D felony.
They remained at the White County jail, each in lieu of $10,000 bond, as of Tuesday afternoon, records show. The couple are set to appear individually in court Aug. 2.
Police said the infant’s body has been sent to the state Crime Laboratory to determine a cause of death.
Those test results will likely take up to a week to process and could result in upgraded charges for O’Bryan and High, Hernandez said.
Check back with Arkansas Online for updates and read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.