Texas parents arrested after baby found dead in their apartment

ODESSA, Texas — Parents in Texas have been arrested after their 8-month-old baby was found dead in their apartment on Tuesday.

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According to KOSA, the Odessa Police Department released an affidavit Thursday regarding a baby who died on Tuesday.

OPD said in a news release that the baby was about 8 months old.

Officers arrived at an apartment complex on Tuesday afternoon after they received a call about a baby who was unresponsive and not breathing, KOSA said.

According to OPD, the baby had heavy bruising and swelling on the left side of his face and head. He also had smaller bruises along the top of his head. The baby’s parents, Kameron Gammage and Leyla Pierson, both were present when officers arrived.

Officers reported that the inside of the apartment was dirty and there were dog waste on the floor and around the apartment, KOSA said. The parents both admitted that they tried to clean before the officers arrived.

According to KOSA, Gammage asked Pierson what to do and she told him to call 911. Pierson told officers that Gammage seemed to be apologetic toward her.

According to OPD, Gammage admitted he had “extreme anger issues” and allegedly killed several dogs recently by strangling them and trying to get rid of their bodies, which he later admitted to police.

According to OPD, Gammage told officers that on Saturday, July 9, Pierson and him smoked some marijuana. Pierson laid down around 10 p.m. and the baby started crying, so he went to try to and play with him by tossing him in the air and catching him.

Gammage told OPD that on the fourth toss, the baby fell on the floor, causing the bruising. Gammage said he noticed that the baby was acting unusual the days after he fell and when the baby was found dead Tuesday morning, he was afraid that he had killed his kid.

According to KOSA, Gammage told officers that he had been dealing with a lot of stress lately and that the baby’s crying was part of it.

Pierson told officers that she noticed the baby’s injuries when she woke up Saturday and confronted Gammage, who told her the baby probably hit his head on the crib, according to KOSA. Pierson confirmed to officers that they didn’t take the baby to the doctor for the bruising and thought his unusual behavior was because he was teething, KOSA reported.

Gammage and Pierson were arrested and booked on recommended charges of injury to a child, elderly individual or disabled individual and criminal negligence, according to KOSA.

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