Ouachita Parish parents charged for the death of their 6-week-old daughter, deputies say
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) -- On May 10, 2023, deputies of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a residence on Worley Street in reference to a disturbance. According to court documents, officials observed a 6-week-old female infant possessing severe burns on both of her legs.
The infant was then transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead. According to authorities, they were advised by a doctor that the infant had second-degree burns on her legs and the burns appeared to be 7 days old.
Officials went on to obtain a search warrant for the residence and observed Trent Hebert arriving at the home. Hebert was later identified as the infant's father.
When authorities asked Hebert what was his business inside the home, he advised that he needed to use the restroom. According to court documents, Hebert went on to ask questions about officials being at the residence and he also asked if his baby was okay.
Officials then asked about Hebert’s previous location before he arrived at the residence. Hebert allegedly advised deputies that he was out jogging; however, officials did not observe Hebert wearing shoes.
Court documents confirmed that Hebert mentioned that he saw the infant's mother, Shaneka Edwards, approximately two hours prior to the deputy's arrival. Concurrently, investigators at the nearby hospital made contact with Edwards.
According to investigators, Edwards admitted that she was alone with the infant when she called authorities and she has not seen Hebert since the baby was born. Hebert and Edwards were detained and transported to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office for interviews.
Deputies went on to interview Edwards and she allegedly advised officials that she misled authorities about not seeing Hebert since the infant's birth. According to court documents, she advised that Hebert was bathing the infant until the baby began breathing abnormally and eventually stopped breathing.
Hebert allegedly went on to perform CPR on the infant, which was unsuccessful, and Edwards called authorities for assistance. Edwards also advised that the infant had breathing issues since her birth and a similar incident took place two weeks prior to her death.
Edwards was then asked about the burns on the infant's legs and she admitted that a pot of ramen noodles next to the infant's legs, and caused the infant to suffer severe burns. Edwards allegedly mentioned the burns took place a few days prior to the infant's death.
Edwards did not take the infant to the hospital after receiving the burns because she feared that child protective services would be notified. The incident caused Edwards to not take her infant to their 6-week appointment.
Investigators then interviewed Hebert, who mentioned that he lied about not being at the home and apologized to authorities. According to court documents, Hebert advised officials that he was worried about his arrest warrants.
Hebert went on to advise officials on a similar testimony as Edwards. When he was asked about the burns, Hebert initially mentioned that a hot pot of ramen noodles fell over near the infant; however, he changed his statement by mentioning the burns came from him attempting to bathe the infant. Hebert allegedly attempted to take care of the burns himself instead of transporting the infant to the hospital.
Edwards and Hebert were arrested and charged with Negligent Homicide. Edwards' bond was set at $100,000 and Hebert's bond was set at $103,500.