Mother accused of leaving son to die in crib indicted on felony charges

DAYTON — The 33-year-old mother accused of hurting her son and leaving him to die in his crib has been indicted on felony charges.

Wanisha Smith, 33, of Dayton, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangering after the 1-year-old was found dead in an apartment on James H. McGee Blvd.

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“”This woman injured her child, and instead of seeking medical attention left him alone in his crib. No one, including the defendant, checked on this child until firefighters found his badly decomposed body,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. said. “This case is yet another that confirms that additional work must be done to ensure children in our community are in a safe environment. No child should endure this kind of extreme abuse and neglect.”

Smith told police she hurt her son “by bumping his head into a chair rendering him unconscious and unresponsive.” She also said she never attempted to provide medical care for him.

Officers responded to an apartment complex in the 1800 block of James H. McGee Blvd. earlier this month after receiving a call from a neighbor, who had concerns about a “bad smell” coming from one of the residences.

“I think there’s someone over there that’s deceased,” the caller told dispatchers.

Dayton police said once they arrived at the apartment they also requested the Dayton Fire Department to help.

“Out of a concern for the safety and well-being of anyone inside, the Dayton Fire Department was requested to the scene and assisted with entering the apartment,” said Dayton Police Lt. Jason Hall. “Firefighters located the remains of a small child who had clearly been deceased for some time. A call out was then made for detectives from both the Dayton Police Department Special Victims Unit and the Homicide Unit.”

Court records show the child had been left in the apartment since approximately May 16.

Smith does have other children, none of which police said live with her. Officers said those children are safe.

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