Authorities in Alabama assert that a missing 1-year-old kid, whose disappearance was revealed following the death of his family members in a car accident months after he was last observed, endured horrific mistreatment prior to his abduction.
Kahleb Collins, aged 1, was last observed in September 2024 in Winfield, Alabama, as reported by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA).
The police became aware of his disappearance in December, following the fatal vehicle accident involving his father, Steven Bradley Collins, and sister, RyLeigh Denise Collins. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said on December 30 that Kahleb Collins is now presumed deceased.
Kahleb Collins’s mother, Wendy Pamela Bailey, who sustained critical injuries in the accident, has subsequently been apprehended on multiple accusations, including domestic assault.
The inquiry into Kahleb Collins’s disappearance revealed harrowing allegations of purported torture that authorities claim the kid endured.
According to criminal records referenced by AL.com, WVTM 13, and WBMA, authorities assert that Kahleb Collins was photographed “suspended from a loft by a rope” on at least one occasion.
The criminal documents assert that Steven shared the images in July, thereafter sending text conversations in which he stated: “He want (sic) move.” I sincerely apologise.
At one juncture in the text chat, Wendy Bailey remarked, “He merely appears exhausted and injured; hopefully, that is all.”
Steven purportedly informed Wendy Bailey of his intention to murder the child.
Bailey is charged with neglecting to report or intervene in instances of physical abuse, as indicated by court documents, according to AL.com, WVTM 13, and WBMA.
The police additionally assert that Kahleb Collins was murdered, deposited in an outdoor storage shed, and subsequently relocated to an undetermined site.
The case has been shrouded in mystery from the beginning of the investigation as questions remain about the circumstances surrounding Kahleb’s disappearance.
In November, Steven wrote in a Facebook post that Kahleb was ill and needed a surgery, PEOPLE previously reported. Per the timeline provided by police, this post was written months after the child was last seen.
“He is not growing and has major back issues. His organs are growing but not his body,” Steven wrote in the post.
“Keep him in your prayers. Been rough and just seems going to be a long rough tough road ahead of us,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, a neighbor told WWMT that while they were aware the family had a son, they never saw the boy.
Authorities have not announced an estimated time of death for Kahleb.
Wendy Bailey has been charged with abuse of a corpse, aggravated child abuse and domestic violence. She was also charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the death of RyLeigh, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The children’s grandfather John Elton Bailey is also under arrest on a charge of failing to report Kahleb missing, the sheriff’s office previously told PEOPLE.
Plea and attorney information for Wendy Bailey and John Elton Bailey were not immediately available.
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