BRISTOL, VA (WJHL) – The parents of a 4-month-old girl who died and her twin sister who was injured earlier this month in Bristol, Va., have been charged in the case.
Bristol, Va., police charged Heather Terry, 34, and Jonathan Lynn Wilson, 29, both of 504 Hill Drive, Bristol, Va., each with felony homicide, two counts of cruelty toward children and two counts of abuse and neglect.
According to police, officers went to the Hill Drive home on Aug. 8 to check on “an unresponsive baby.” That child was taken Bristol Regional Medical Center, then to Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City and then to a Knoxville children’s hospital, where she was pronounced dead Aug. 11.
Police said the child had injuries that were discovered during medical treatment. The injuries appeared to be inflicted.
The parents arrived at the Knoxville hospital with the surviving twin, and hospital personnel notices bruises on that child.
Police said the injuries to both children “are believed to be the result of ongoing abuse by the parents… .”
Terry was arrested at her home Wednesday morning. She was being held in the Bristol, Va., jail with no bond.
According to Bristol, Virginia police the father, Jonathan Wilson, was in custody Wednesday night. Both parents are scheduled for an arraignment Thursday afternoon at the Bristol Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
The surviving baby and another 5-year-old in the home were placed in the custody of the Bristol, Va., Department of Social Services.
The family’s next-door neighbor told us she talked with the parents often and said they seemed like a nice family.
“It just upset me very very much that anybody could even hurt a child, I mean you just ..what was going through their mind?,” neighbor Patricia Barnett said.
A preliminary hearing for the two of them is scheduled for October 20.
Keep checking WJHL on air and online for more information on this developing story.Copyright WJHL 2016. All rights reserved.
