Kristen Bury, the mother of Chance Walsh, was posting baby-related material on Facebook even after the date on which she reportedly told Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office investigators the child had died.
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Joseph Walsh’s first appearance hearing for first-degree murder is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Sarasota. A public defender was appointed for him.
Walsh faces charges of first-degree felony murder and child neglect. He has been held in the county jail since his extradition from South Carolina on Tuesday.
Walsh is being held without bond on the murder charge and on $150,000 bond for one count of child neglect, Inside Edition reported.
“It’s very shocking”, said April Combs of Sarasota County.
‘Joseph said during his interview that Kristen told him she did not want them to call 911 because she did not want to lose both people she loves in the same day’.
Family members became concerned about the child’s welfare after Bury and Walsh gave conflicting stories about his whereabouts, police said.
Joseph told Kristen he was going to bash Chance’s head into the ground during the argument.
After Chance died, he was placed in his crib where he was left for a week as his body decomposed, according to authorities. Bury said she made several attempts to remove the wipe, and after “extreme measures” the wipe was removed – causing trauma to the infant’s mouth.
The report states Bury then attempted to feed Chance a formula bottle several hours later, and she noticed he was gasping for air. During the argument, Walsh allegedly struck Chance repeatedly.
Detectives said Bury and Walsh never called 911.
The Florida couple accused of murdering their nine-week-old baby boy allegedly let the infant waste away in his crib, and then the closet, for more than a week after his father beat him to death, officials said.
Bury, 32, told police the couple was fighting the morning Chance died.
On September 24th, just before daylight, the pair drove to Elliot Court in North Port. They later retrieved Chance’s body and buried him there.
According to a probably cause affidavit, his body was discovered in a shallow grave in a wooded area less than 13 miles from his parent’s home.
Detectives searched the area after Bury directed them there.
The Florida Department of Children and Families noted in a statement that the department did not have any prior investigation involving Chance, but it had “multiple past interactions with Joseph Walsh, including the removal of seven children from his custody”. Christopher said Joseph Walsh has always struggled with “demons”, and he has been on medication for his mental illness since he was a child.
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The document says Bury had spoken to her stepmother about how she “despised” Chance because he wasn’t Duane, and admitted to having thoughts about hurting him.
