Pike County Woman sentenced following 2023 death of unborn baby
Courtesy: Pike County Sheriff’s Office
The Pike County District Attorney’s Office says a Pike County woman has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison following the 2023 death of her unborn baby.
District Attorney James Tarbox says that Chelsey Redmon-Zellers appeared in court Tuesday and entered a guilty plea to the charge of Manslaughter for the death of her unborn, full term son on March 18, 2023. Following the sentencing hearing, the Defendant was sentenced to 15 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections pursuant to an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office.
According to Tarbox, a fully developed baby was delivered stillborn at Medical Center Enterprise on March 18, 2023, after the Defendant was transferred from Troy Regional Medical Center. It was there that no fetal heartbeat was detected.
An investigation began into the circumstances surrounding the stillborn birth. The corpse was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsy and full toxicology.
Toxicology results showed that the corpse had methamphetamine, amphetamine, and fentanyl in his blood.
Redmon-Zellers was transferred to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. Further investigation revealed that the Defendant had been told to avoid drugs during her pregnancy, but didn’t follow that advice, according to Attorney Tarbox.
“This is a tragic case that was difficult to work on for all involved,” said Tarbox. “To have a baby that should have been born and given a chance at life die in this manner is heartbreaking. Our office reviewed the facts and evidence, and spoke with medical experts that would have been needed to testify at a trial of this matter. In our discussions, it became clear that had this matter gone to trial, a conviction for a Class A felony was still possible, but that there was a possibility of only obtaining a conviction for a Class C felony. I made the decision to offer a Class B felony as a settlement of this case. The Manslaughter charge for which the Defendant entered a guilty plea is still a very serious charge, and it reflects the completely reckless disregard and lack of care she had for the human life growing inside of her as she continued to ingest meth and fentanyl.”
The District Attorney’s Office thanks the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Enterprise Police Department, Coffee County Coroner’s Office, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the medical staff at Troy Regional Hospital and Medical Center Enterprise for their involvement and cooperation in this matter.
