Parents face murder charges for 1-year-old Catawba County girl’s death

CATAWBA COUNTY. N.C. — The parents of a 1-year-old girl are charged with murder after she ingested fentanyl at their home, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said.

Lucas Shayne Scronce and Jennifer Denise Clay were arrested and charged with murder for the death of their 16-month-old daughter, Ivy Clay.

The case was opened back in February. Deputies were called on Feb. 7 to a home on Short Road in Newton. When they arrived, they found Ivy, who had died.

After looking into the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death, investigators arrested Scronce on Feb. 9 and charged him with trafficking in opium. They brought the charge after finding drugs at the home, which Scronce and Clay shared with Ivy.

Ivy’s autopsy report was released on June 18, the sheriff’s office said. Her cause of death is listed as the toxic effects of fentanyl and the manner of death is homicide.

Deputies believe the fentanyl Ivy ingested was at the home.

The search warrants in the case talk about how the mother didn’t check on her baby girl from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Deputies described seeing a clear plastic bag with a white powdery substance nearby.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty questioned Clay as she was booked into jail Monday morning.

“Jennifer, anything to say about this? Was this an accident?” Faherty asked.

Clay didn’t say a word.

‘A poison on our streets’

Jennifer’s uncle, Johnny Grindstaff, lives two doors down from the couple and was there when his niece brought the baby to his home back in February.

“She said her baby wasn’t breathing and she tried her best to get her to wake up,” he told Faherty. “She was telling Ivy to wake up, wake up.”

But according to the search warrant, deputies found narcotics in the kitchen of the home, along with tin foil that had burn markings.

The sheriff’s office has made several arrests over the last two years involving fentanyl deaths in Catawba County.

“Fentanyl is a huge issue and continues to be a poison on our streets that’s killing people,” said Sheriff Don Brown. “It’s certainly a tragic thing that this child had access to the fentanyl and ultimately died as a result of that.”

Grindstaff said he still can’t believe his niece is now in jail and accused of murdering her daughter.

“Surprised because she was too good with that baby and, as far as I know, she took good care of her,” he said.

Scronce and Clay are being held in jail without bond for the murder charges. They’re expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

(WATCH BELOW: Man pleads guilty to supplying drugs that led to fentanyl poisoning)

Man pleads guilty to supplying drugs that led to fentanyl poisoning

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