RAYNNA REA BOGGS - 3 Months (2/2011) - Charleston WV

NEW INFO: Mother Charged in Child's Death


UPDATE 2/16/11 @ 11:30 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mom is in jail, accused of killing her 3-month-old daughter.
Police in South Charleston have been looking into Raynna Rea Boggs’ death since May.
According to a criminal complaint, Leslie Boggs says she left a room to do some cleaning and came back to find her baby not breathing.
But police say as they looked into her story, they found a history of drug and alcohol problems.
The medical examiner told investigators a few things didn't make sense, and maybe her story wasn't true.
In September, Boggs appeared on an episode of “Swift Justice with Nancy Grace” to talk about a different case, admitting that she had a history of “blacking out.”
According to a transcript, she says she got pregnant with Raynna when she was passed out from too much drinking.
And according to two criminal complaints, Boggs has had issues with drugs.
The day before the show aired, police say she was in Winfield “to drop off her fiancé, Thomas A. Meyers, for a class at Prestera.”
Police say after Meyers left, Boggs got out of her car and climbed into the driver’s side of a black Jeep.
"She went directly to the center console under the cup holder and obtained a pill bottle containing 38 reported Suboxone pills," says a criminal complaint. According to Suboxone’s website, it’s used to treat opiate dependence.
In January, police got more information from Meyers about the day Raynna died.
According to a criminal complaint, "He stated that the defendant had been drinking and using drugs the previous evening and earlier that morning."
Meyers says Boggs passed out on top of the baby, smothering her.
Boggs called her mother during Wednesday’s hearing, saying police were just going on one side of the story.
The magistrate set her bond at $500,000 cash.
If found guilty on the child neglect charge, Boggs could go to prison for three to 15 years.
Boggs also faces charges for theft and drug possession in Putnam County

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http://www.wsaz.com/charleston/headlines/BREAKING_NEWS__Mother_Charged_in_Childs_Death_116353134.html

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Posted: 10:40 PM Feb 7, 2012

UPDATE: Mother Awaiting Sentence Faces More Trouble

Leslie Boggs was arrested on Monday for violating her home confinement.
UPDATE 2/7/12 @ 10:45 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother who pleaded guilty last week to child neglect causing death is back in jail.

Leslie Boggs was arrested on Monday for violating her home confinement.



Police say Boggs was high and drunk last year when she rolled over on Raynna, killing her. In court last week, Boggs admitted she shouldn't have been impaired, however she would not admit to taking her daughter's life.

The judge originally placed Boggs on absolute home confinement until she is sentenced this spring. However, the judge later said that Boggs could leave for drug rehab.

According to court records, on Friday night Boggs violated her home confinement by going to a restaurant without permission. She later admitted to drinking alcohol, according to court records. A field test was taken and Boggs tested positive for marijuana and alcohol, according to court records.

Boggs was arrested and taken to South Central Regional Jail.

Boggs is set to be sentenced on the child neglect causing death charge on April 12.

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UPDATE 2/3/12 @ 4 p.m.
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother accused of smothering her baby by laying on top of her while high on drugs and alcohol has pleaded guilty to child neglect causing death.



Leslie Boggs on Friday was in court in Kanawha County.

“I'm here to plead guilty to charges of child neglect resulting in death," Boggs said.

Boggs’ daughter, Raynna, died in May of 2010.

"I feel I was negligent by consuming alcohol on top of my medication," Boggs said.

Police say Boggs was high and drunk when she rolled over on Raynna, killing her. In court, Boggs admitted she shouldn't have been impaired, however she would not admit to taking her daughter's life.

"I don't know that I rolled over on my daughter. I don't know that, but I feel very negligent," Boggs said.

The case gained national attention, being featured several times on CNN.

"An infant lost their life. It was an absolute tragedy," Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants said.

Plants is now pleased with Boggs’ guilty plea secured.

"Anytime drugs and alcohol are involved, and we're talking about anyone that's taking care of infant children or any children, those are very serious cases. We have a moral obligation to take care of our elderly and infants who can't take care of themselves," Plants said.

Boggs is still waiting to see what her final punishment will be.

"I hereby accept your guilty plea and adjudicate you Leslie Boggs of the felony offense of child neglect causing death,” Kanawha County Judge Paul Zakaib said.

Boggs has been on absolute home confinement. Until her sentencing, she will be able to leave her home to receive drug treatment.

She could spend 3 to 15 years in prison and/or face a $1,000 to $5,000 fine.

Boggs is set to be sentenced April 12.

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UPDATE 4/14/11 @ 10:15 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother who allegedly smothered her baby by passing out on top of her, now knows when she will go on trial.



Leslie Boggs was in court, Thursday morning for her arraignment. During the hearing, she pleaded not guilty to child neglect resulting in death.

Back in May, Boggs, told police that she was cleaning around her house when she went to check on her 3-month-old daughter, Raynna Rae Boggs and she was unresponsive.

Boggs' husband, Thomas Myers, testified at her preliminary hearing in February.

He said he walked into Boggs' home on May 10, 2010, to find her sleeping with her leg on top of baby Reina, suffocating her.

Myers said the baby's lips, face and whole body were blue.

Bogg's trial has been set for August 1.

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UPDATE 2/25/11 @ 6:45 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother who allegedly smothered her baby by passing out on top of her after a night of drinking and drugs was back in court Friday.



Leslie Boggs' husband, Thomas Myers, testified at her preliminary hearing. He said he walked into Boggs' home on May 10, 2010, to find her sleeping with her leg on top of baby Reina, suffocating her. He said the baby's lips, face and whole body was blue.

Also offering testimony was A.R. Gordon, the investigating officer on the case. He said, when he saw Reina, she had marks all over the baby that looked like someone tried to give her CPR to revive her. He said her body was "stiff as a board".

New information released in Friday's hearing was that Boggs tried to leave her home 20 minutes before an ambulance was called. However, she was unable to leave because she failed a breathalyzer installed in her car; it controls if the engine will start or not. Boggs' blood alcohol content was .036.

The judge changed Boggs' bond from $500,000 cash to $500,000 in property or the option to pay $50,000 cash. If she pays bond, she will be restricted to home confinement.

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UPDATE 2/18/11 @ 11:30 p.m.
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A tragic case involving a local baby's death is getting national attention.



South Charleston Police arrested Leslie Boggs earlier this week.

She's charged with smothering her 3-month-old, Raynna Rae Boggs in May.

Police and Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants spent an hour on Nancy Grace's show on HLN talking about the case.

The show focused a lot on Boggs' past issues with drinking and drugs.

Police say an immobilizer has been installed in her car to stop it from turning on if she had been drinking.

Investigators talked about why it took nine months to make an arrest in the case, saying they got differing stories from Boggs and her family members as the investigation progressed.

"It was pretty evident early on that SIDS was not the cause of Raynna's death," says Detective Andrew Gordon.

Police say drugs and drinking led Boggs to pass out on top of her daughter.

Her boyfriend at the time, Thomas A. Meyers, didn't speak up about what happened until January.

Officials say Meyers is in jail on parole violations.

Investigators talked about this during the show with Sam Champion, who filled in for Grace.

“We knew that he maybe knew more information than he had originally provided us with," Gordon said.

Champion asked "And now, so now I'm trying to figure out, does he get anything here? How does this bombshell all of a sudden get dropped?"

Plants told Champion, "Meyers' statement is consistent with the allegations in the complaint that are generated from the medical examiner's report."

Police say another one of Nancy Grace's shows helped them in this investigation.

Boggs appeared on "Swift Justice with Nancy Grace" in September, talking about a different case.

She mentioned a history of issues with drugs and alcohol.

Gordon says, "I think it was good. It was good for the investigation. It helped out the investigation and connected some more dots for us."

Boggs' public defender, Richard E. Holicker, declined to be interviewed but in a statement said, "The allegations against Ms. Boggs are just that, allegations. Ms. Boggs adamantly asserts her absolute innocence, and we wish the prosecuting attorney would try this case in court, not in the media."

Boggs remains in jail on a $500,000 cash bond.

If found guilty, she faces up to 15 years in prison for her child's death.

She also faces theft and drug charges in Putnam County.

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UPDATE 2/16/11 @ 11:30 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mom is in jail, accused of killing her 3-month-old daughter.



Police in South Charleston have been looking into Raynna Rea Boggs’ death since May.

According to a criminal complaint, Leslie Boggs says she left a room to do some cleaning and came back to find her baby not breathing.

But police say as they looked into her story, they found a history of drug and alcohol problems.

The medical examiner told investigators a few things didn't make sense, and maybe her story wasn't true.

In September, Boggs appeared on an episode of “Swift Justice with Nancy Grace” to talk about a different case, admitting that she had a history of “blacking out.”

According to a transcript, she says she got pregnant with Raynna when she was passed out from too much drinking.

And according to two criminal complaints, Boggs has had issues with drugs.

The day before the show aired, police say she was in Winfield “to drop off her fiancé, Thomas A. Meyers, for a class at Prestera.”

Police say after Meyers left, Boggs got out of her car and climbed into the driver’s side of a black Jeep.

"She went directly to the center console under the cup holder and obtained a pill bottle containing 38 reported Suboxone pills," says a criminal complaint. According to Suboxone’s website, it’s used to treat opiate dependence.

In January, police got more information from Meyers about the day Raynna died.

According to a criminal complaint, "He stated that the defendant had been drinking and using drugs the previous evening and earlier that morning."

Meyers says Boggs passed out on top of the baby, smothering her.

Boggs called her mother during Wednesday’s hearing, saying police were just going on one side of the story.

The magistrate set her bond at $500,000 cash.

If found guilty on the child neglect charge, Boggs could go to prison for three to 15 years.

Boggs also faces charges for theft and drug possession in Putnam County.

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UPDATE 2/16/11 @ 6:30 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother claims that the death of her infant daughter wasn't her fault, but her boyfriend at the time has a much different story.



In May 2010, South Charleston police responded to a call of a baby in cardiac arrest.

The mother, Leslie Boggs, told police that she was cleaning around her house when she went to check on her 3-month-old daughter and she was unresponsive.

The infant, Raynna Rea Boggs, was pronounced dead at Thomas Memorial Hospital.

Thomas Myers was dating Leslie Boggs at the time of the incident. He told police that she had been drinking and doing drugs the same day that the baby died.

Myers told officers that he woke up that morning to find Leslie passed out in the floor. That's when he noticed Raynna's body sticking out from underneath her mother's leg. He told police that the baby's face was blue and it looked like it had been pushed in.

Doctors at the hospital told police that Myers statement was consistent with the type of injuries the child had suffered.

Leslie Boggs is being held in the South Central Regional jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

On Wednesday, Boggs was also picked up for a warrant from Putnam County. There, she's charged with petit larceny, breaking without entering and possession of a controlled substance.

Winfield Police say that Boggs stole prescription pills out of a vehicle.

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ORIGINAL STORY
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother is facing charges in connection with the death of her child.



Leslie Boggs is being arraigned in Kanawha County Magistrate Court at this hour on charges of child neglect causing death. Police say she got drunk, passed out and rolled over her baby back in May and that the baby died as a result.

WSAZ has a crew at the Kanawha County Courthouse and will update this developing story as more information becomes available.

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