NATHANIEL JONES - 2 yo (2009) - Rowan County KY

After investigating for more than a year, police have charged a man for the murder of a two-year old boy.
Brian Gallagher is charged with criminal abuse and murder. He was here at the Rowan County Detention
Center, but was bonded out earlier Tuesday afternoon with a $25,000 cash bond.
In March of 2009, when two-year old Nathaniel Jones died after he was found unresponsive in his
Rowan County home, but neighbors say they knew something wasn't right.
"I knew when it happened, something had happened to that baby, because kids don't just up and die
like that," says Mary Robinson, who lived nearby the family during the time of the incident.  
Police knew, too, as they continued to investigate the death for more than a year.
"We wanted to make sure we dotted our i's and crossed our t's as we want to do with any case, especially
the death of someone," says Kentucky State Police Detective Toby Gardner.
Further testing and consulting experts conclude the child died of internal injuries from the result of
blunt force trauma to the stomach. Police arrested Gallagher, who
lived with Tiea Jones, the toddler's mother at the time. He was indicted Friday.
Since his release, Gallagher, said he didn't want to further comment on the investigation.

Kentucky State Police have now arrested the mother of a two-year old toddler in his death.
Police charged 22-year-old Tiea Jones with murder and criminal abuse.
Her son, 2-year-old Nataniel Jones, died after being found unresponsive in his home in March of 2009.
Police say testing and consulting experts conclude the child died of
internal injuries from the result of blunt force trauma to the stomach.
Police charged the mother's boyfriend at the time, 30-year old Brian Gallagher, with murder earlier
this week. Court records show he created the grave risk of death by abusing the boy.
Police say it took more than a year to bring charges against the couple because of delays in medical testing results.

Posted: 8:23 AM Jun 9, 2010
Mother charged with toddler's murder due in court
A mother charged in the death of her two-year old is due in court today.



A mother charged in the death of her two-year old is due in court Wednesday.

Kentucky State Police charged 22-year-old Tiea Jones with murder and criminal abuse.

Her son, two-year old Nathaniel Jones, died in his Rowan County home in March of 2009. Police say the child was beat to death.

Police also charged Jones's boyfriend at the time, 30-year old Brian Gallagher, with murder. He is also due in court Wednesday.

Charges weren't brought against the couple until last month because of medical testing.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/95947304.html

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JURY TRIAL 10/3/2011 09:00 AM C

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http://apps.courts.ky.gov/CourtRecords/Results.aspx

COMMONWEALTH VS. JONES, TIEA R
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STATUS HEARING 10/21/2011 01:00 PM C

http://apps.courts.ky.gov/CourtRecords/Results.aspx

COMMONWEALTH VS. JONES, TIEA R
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STATUS HEARING 12/16/2011 01:00 PM C

http://apps.courts.ky.gov/CourtRecords/Results.aspx

We’re social workers and we’re not supposed to reveal it,” she said. “If someone else releases it, that’s on them.

July 31, 2013 § Leave a comment

State Child Protective Services officials had been investigating possible abuse of 2-year-old Nathaniel Jones when he was killed in March 2009.

But the state’s involvement with the family prior to the boy’s death had been kept from the public until the detail came out in Franklin Circuit Court Tuesday as state officials argued they should be able to withhold information about the death or near-death of child abuse victims.

Information about the allegation that brought Nathaniel to the state’s attention remains secret, as well as the details of his death. The state has said it needs to keep the file confidential because of pending murder and criminal abuse charges against Nathaniel’s mother, Tiea Jones, and her boyfriend, Brian Gallagher in Rowan County.

Angela Estep, a social worker with the Department of Community Based Services, testified that the file should also be kept confidential to spare Nathaniel’s father details of his son’s death.

“There are a lot of things that the father doesn’t know,” Estep testified, even if he can find some of them in news reports of Nathaniel’s death.

“We’re social workers and we’re not supposed to reveal it,” she said. “If someone else releases it, that’s on them. But I don’t think it’s the Cabinet’s job to release it.”

Estep and several other social workers from across the state testified before Judge Phillip Shepherd to explain why they believe information should remain confidential in the files of children who died or were seriously injured by abuse or neglect.

The social workers, at times emotional, testified in the second day of a hearing that pits the desire of Cabinet officials to keep abuse details private against the the state’s two largest newspapers. The Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader argue disclosure will make it possible to fix any problems in the system and allow the public to evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to protect children.

The newspapers requested records on child deaths and near-deaths more than three years ago. The Cabinet has fought the release, but began releasing records — with details blacked out — last year.

http://willcountyprose.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/were-social-workers-and-were-not-supposed-to-reveal-it-she-said-if-someone-else-releases-it-thats-on-them/

Interesting comments here from people who seem to know the mother, Tiea Jones, and/or the boyfriend, Brian Gallagher. (They are both charged in this case):

http://www.topix.net/forum/city/plummers-mill-ky/TG43I5IE6Q8UO8E3L