Teenage mother, boyfriend accused of murdering 5-month-old son

An underage couple was arrested Wednesday and accused of killing the woman’s five-year-old son.

Officers with Cincinnati Police Department replied for a call about an unresponsive infant last week. The newborn, Casey Sams, is cared for by his mother, 19-year-old Shakayla Sams and her partner, 19-year-old Donte Farrier.

“On arrival, responders located the unresponsive male infant,” the department said in a statement. “Cincinnati Fire Department personnel responded and transported the child to Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center.”

Sams and Farrier were arrested and booked into the Hamilton County Jail on charges of child endangerment. The infant was kept alive at the hospital until his death on Monday. The couple were later charged with murder on suspicion of causing the infant’s death.

The two were taken to court on these charges Tuesday morning. Both are being held on a $250,000 straight bond.

At this time, police have yet to confirm what injuries Casey Sams or how the pair may have inflicted on them.

To speak with the local newspaper WLWTSams and Farrier’s neighbors said they had barely heard or witnessed anything violent from the pair. However, a neighbor, Denise George, recounted witnessing domestic violence between the two.

“I’m just sad. I’m sad that that little baby has to go through that, what he’s going through right now,” George said. “Anyone in any domestic violence situation, you need to reach out and get help. They have so many resources and things like this happen every day.”

Court documents obtained by WLWT indicate that Sams and Farrier shared at least one child who lived with them at the residence where Casey Sams was found unresponsive. Farrier’s relationship to the infant is unclear at this point.

The documents also allege that both children suffered injuries to Sams and Farrier’s hands as of June 22. Investigators concluded that the home was a dangerous place for children.

Early December, a 26-year-old New Jersey woman was arrested and charged with stabbing her infant daughter to death. Kristhie Alcazar, 26, of Penn’s Grove, New Jersey, was arrested on December 3 by officers who responded to a 911 call from her residence. When they arrived, they found her “in an argument with another person and the body of a deceased infant with stab wounds to the chest.” Knives and other pieces of evidence were recovered at the scene.

According to a police affidavit, Alcazar later admitted stabbing his daughter, saying it would “complete her final sin, murder.” She also stated that “she would not change any of the facts surrounding the murder.”