TAELYNN SPROUSE-STEPHENS - 4 Months - Newport/ Knoxville TN

The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 4-month-old baby girl Friday afternoon.


Officers received an E-911 call at 2:34 p.m. Friday concerning a
residence at 231 English Mountain Road south of Newport, according to a
press release from Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes.


They found the baby, Taelynn Sprouse, and began an investigation to determine the cause of death.

Stephanie Turner


The couple who were watching the infant informed officers that the
infant was sleeping and when the woman, Stephanie Turner, went to check
on the infant she was not breathing, the report stated.


“Officers were informed in investigation that at some point during
the morning the infant, allegedly fell off a living room couch hitting
the floor while the care giver, Stephanie Turner, was tending to a
3-year-old child in the … bathroom,” Fontes wrote in the report.


The cause of death in under investigation.


“Upon a search of the residence officers recovered drug
paraphernalia, marijuana residue, a small amount of various unidentified
pills, paraphernalia which is used to crush or grind pills, and
paraphernalia used to snort pills,” the report stated. “A loaded 9mm
handgun was also located in a master bedroom drawer.”

Scott McMahan


Turner and Scott McMahan were charged with possession of schedule 6
marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and four counts of
aggravated child abuse and neglect, the report states.


At the time of death there were three other small children at the residence, all under the age of 5.


The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services was contacted as well
as the district attorney’s office concerning the investigation. The
TDCS took the children into custody.


The infant was in the care of her grandmother, Judy Stephens, after
the infant had been removed from the biological parents identified as
Stephanie Sprouse and James Stephens of Newport, the report states.


The couple were babysitting the children at the grandmother’s request.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/dec/31/cocke-county-babys-death-under-investigation/

I knew I had seen that name before. I am not certain if this is any relation but check out the death of another young "Sprouse" girl from the same part of the country...

http://www.justice4caylee.org/t13951-nevaeh-sprouse-1-yo-travelers-rest-n-of-greenville-sc?highlight=sprouse

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/198571/2/Babysitters-charged-after-infant-girls-death

Poster's Note: Same victim, new name. Added to headline

Two Newport residents are facing charges, after a child they were babysitting received fatal injuries.

23-year-old Stephanie Turner and 32-year-old Scott Taylor McMahan are charged with four counts of child abuse and neglect, along with drug charges.

The Cocke County Sheriff's Office says four-month old Taelynn Stephens died on Friday.

Turner told officers that she went into a bedroom and found the infant's brother on top of her. She said the baby wasn't acting right, so she took her into the living room and began CPR while McMahan called 9-1-1.

Paramedics took the baby to Newport Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities sent her body to UT Medical Center for an autopsy.

The police report says DCS gave Turner and McMahan urine drug tests, which they failed. The report also says officers found pills and drug paraphenalia in the home that was easily within reach of the four children they were babysitting.

Three of the children in the home, including Taelynn, were in their grandmother's custody after a previous DCS investigation. The grandmother, Judy Stephens, had asked Turner and McMahan to babysit.