A Kentucky couple is facing criminal charges more than a year after authorities discovered a deceased infant outside their rural home, a case that began with a 911 call reporting a possible medical emergency.
Deeann Bennett and her husband, Charles Bennett, were taken into custody this week in connection with the infant’s death. Both are charged with one count of reckless homicide and concealing the birth of an infant, according to law enforcement officials. Deeann Bennett also faces additional allegations of tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse.
The investigation dates back to late November 2024, when Kentucky State Police responded to a morning emergency call from a woman who said she had experienced a pregnancy complication.
Troopers with the agency’s Richmond post were dispatched around 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 29 after a report that the woman had suffered a “possible miscarriage.” She was later identified as Deeann Bennett and was transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
While at the hospital, authorities said the couple disclosed that the infant was still at their residence on Lewis Lane in Booneville, a community roughly 150 miles southeast of Louisville. That information prompted officers and detectives to go to the property to search the surrounding area.
“Troopers and detectives responded to the residence, where they located an unresponsive infant over an embankment outside the home,” KSP Post 7 Public Affairs Officer Justin Kearney wrote in the release. “Owsley County Coroner Rob Morgan pronounced the infant deceased at the scene.”
The child’s body was taken to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort for an autopsy. Officials have not yet publicly released findings regarding the cause or manner of death, leaving key medical details unresolved as the legal process moves forward.
Court records show both Deeann and Charles Bennett are being held at the Three Forks Jail without bond. Their arraignments are scheduled for the morning of March 2, where the formal charges will be addressed before a judge.
The case remains under investigation, and authorities have not disclosed whether additional charges could follow pending forensic results and further review.
