Tonight's episode contains content related to infant death and substance abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Four months. That's how long this precious life lasted. In a remote West Virginia home, where running water was scarce and roaches roamed freely, a baby girl's cries were silenced - not by natural causes, but by a fatal parental decision that would shock an entire community.

Welcome to The True Crime Pod. I'm your host, and today we're diving into a heartbreaking case that challenges our understanding of parental responsibility and the devastating consequences of misguided care.

In the early hours of November sixteenth, two thousand and twenty-four, emergency services received a frantic call. A four-month-old baby wasn't breathing. The parents, thirty-four-year-old James Joseph Smith and twenty-three-year-old Angel Talbert, rushed their infant daughter to meet an ambulance at the bottom of their driveway. By five-thirty that morning, their baby girl was pronounced dead.

But what initially appeared to be a tragic case of sudden infant death would soon unravel into something far more disturbing. The medical examiner's findings were shocking - the infant's liver tissue showed an ethanol reading of three-point-two-one-zero, a level lethal to a baby this young.

During questioning, both parents made a chilling admission. For nearly a month, they had been rubbing alcohol on their daughter's gums whenever she became fussy or irritable. Every single day, this toxic substance was administered to a helpless infant who relied on her parents for protection.

The investigation revealed more troubling details. The family home was in deplorable condition. There was no running water in the kitchen or bathroom. Instead, the couple filled containers from a backroom spigot. Roaches infested the house, and drug paraphernalia was discovered during the search.

Last week, nearly five months after their daughter's death, Smith and Talbert were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, child neglect resulting in death, and conspiracy. They're currently being held without bond, awaiting their hearing.

This case raises crucial questions about parental education, substance abuse, and the systems meant to protect our most vulnerable citizens. How did these parents come to believe that alcohol was an appropriate solution for a crying infant? What support systems failed to identify this family in crisis before it was too late?

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or needs parenting support, please reach out for help. You can find resources and helplines on our website at thetruecrimepod.com.

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Stay safe, stay informed, and we'll see you next time.