A 40-year-old babysitter was arrested on Tuesday, September 12, for the tragic death of an 11-month-old girl in Virginia.  

The York-Poquoson Sheriff, Ron Montgomery, confirmed that the accused, Kristen Graham, is facing charges of felony child neglect and misdemeanor animal cruelty.  

Paul Kudlaty, an 80-year-old resident, was the one who alerted authorities about the situation. He approached Newport News hospital personnel stating he had a deceased child in his vehicle. Upon inspection, hospital staff found the infant’s remains inside a black garbage bag in the car.

The baby, identified as Myrical, was under the care of Graham. Myrical was the daughter of 17-year-old Arianna Wicker. An investigation revealed that Graham had been the primary caregiver for Myrical for a considerable amount of time.

The timeline of events on that fateful day began when Graham received a call around 1 am from a friend in Newport News. The friend was attending to an elderly individual and needed cigarettes. Graham took the infant and a dog with her, and bought the cigarettes from a 711 store. She subsequently spent the night at the friend’s place. Returning home around 8 am, she went into the house to sleep. In the early afternoon when Graham woke up, she  discovered the horrifying scene: both Myrical and the dog were unresponsive inside the car. The outside temperature in Seaford had climbed to 88 degrees on that day.

For reasons still under investigation, the child’s body was then placed in a garbage bag. Kudlaty took the unfortunate responsibility of transporting the deceased child to Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital. At this time, he is not under any charges related to the tragic event.

A search conducted at Graham’s residence unveiled another grim discovery: the lifeless body of the dog in a bathtub. During questioning, Graham revealed that she had taken the prescription drug, Gabapentin, before her drive to Newport News. Gabapentin is commonly prescribed for specific types of seizures and to address neuropathic pain.

To aid Arianna Wicker with the impending funeral expenses, Frances Spires, Myrical’s maternal grandmother, has started a GoFundMe campaign.