Parents Face Murder Charge In Fatal Alcohol Poisoning Of Baby: Sheriff

DALLAS, GA — A Paulding County mother and father have been charged with the murder of their four-week-old baby, apparently through alcohol poisoning, authorities said Tuesday.

Sydnei Moran Dunn, 24, and Marquis Simon Colvin, 25, both from Hiram, are each charged with malice murder and other counts in connection with the infant’s death, according to a statement from the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.

Dunn and Colvin brought their unresponsive child to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on Wednesday, authorities said. When medical professionals at the hospital decided that the stated circumstances around the child’s condition didn’t add up, they called the police.

At first, Dunn told detectives that the infant must have gotten alcohol poisoning through breast-feeding because Dunn “had consumed a large quantity of alcohol the day before,” according to the statement. Later, she “indicated that the child’s father put alcohol in the baby’s bottle.”

On Wednesday night, detectives executed a search warrant at the couple’s home on Hillcrest Drive in Hiram, where they found “evidence of the crime as well as a firearm.” Colvin, a convicted felon, isn’t allowed to have a gun.

The next day, the child died at the hospital. According to the sheriff’s statement, the amount of alcohol in the child’s body was “well over four times the legal limit for an adult.”

Dunn and Colvin are both charged with malice murder, second-degree murder and first-degree cruelty to children, all felonies. Both are also charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor. In addition, Colvin is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and parole violation, both felonies.

The couple is being held in the Paulding County Jail without bond, where more charges may be pending, according to the sheriff’s statement.

Anyone who may have additional information about this incident is encouraged to call the Paulding County Criminal Investigations Tip Line at 770-443-3047. Tips may also be submitted through the Paulding Sheriff mobile app.