ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A year after an unresponsive four-month-old baby was pronounced dead at Flagler Hospital, a woman presumed to be the child’s mother has been arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Sherrell Proctor, 34, was booked into the St. Johns County Jail early Monday morning after she was arrested on a first-degree negligent manslaughter warrant.
According to the warrant affidavit, the case against Proctor began in September of last year when 911 dispatch received a frantic phone call from a woman who said she was transporting a cold and unresponsive newborn baby to Fire Station 14.
Paramedics then took the baby to Flagler Hospital where an emergency room doctor pronounced the child dead. The affidavit states that according to emergency room personnel, the child’s core body temperature was 93.2 degrees upon her arrival. According to medical experts, the normal body temperature for a baby is between 97.5 and 99.3 degrees.
According to the warrant, Proctor told detectives the baby had a “really bad” respiratory illness several days prior to her death. She also reportedly told detectives that she stayed up with the child the entire night before the baby’s death because the baby did not breathe once the baby was laid down.
The investigation into the child’s death revealed she was living in deplorable conditions inside a three-bedroom apartment with two adults and seven children. The seven children were reportedly asleep when Proctor left. One of Proctor’s children reportedly discovered the baby unresponsive on a couch and alerted an adult who was not named in the warrant. The adult called 911 and began life-saving measures to save the baby. According to the warrant, Proctor learned about the baby’s condition as the child was already en route to either the fire station or the hospital.
Proctor reportedly told investigators that she intended to take the baby to Flagler Hospital but chose not to because there was a two-hour wait. She also reportedly told investigators that she did not call St. Johns County Fire and Rescue because she did not know they could take the child to the hospital.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, further investigation into the child’s death revealed the baby had only been seen twice by a physician between July and September with four canceled or no-show appointments despite Proctor’s story about a physician refusing to see the child the day before the child died. According to the warrant, there was no evidence to support Proctor’s claims about the physician.
According to the autopsy report, there was a sudden unexplained death involving certain factors which included dehydration, small body weight for the child’s age, rhinovirus with chronic pulmonary inflammation, and unsafe sleeping conditions. Based on those findings and statements made by Proctor, investigators determined there was probable cause to file criminal charges against her.
Proctor remains in jail on a $100,000 bond.
If you’re a parent who is financially struggling with a sick child, there is help.
The Wolfson Children’s Hospital child advocacy program called Family Links can help you get in contact with social services. Family Links is a support program that addresses health-related social conditions that impact the quality of a child’s wellness.
You can also call 904-202-9355.