Sheriff: 6-month-old's autopsy inconclusive, mother charged

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — A preliminary autopsy was unable to determine the cause of death of a 6-month-old child who died on Christmas Eve night.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the preliminary results of the autopsy by Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. The autopsy could not determine a specific cause of death.

After consulting with the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office, deputies charged the boy's mother, 30-year-old Stephanie Tillman, with involuntary manslaughter.

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Tillman was in court Wednesday, where she showed no sign of emotion.

The father of the child, Jerry Allen, called 911 on Christmas Eve and said he came home from work to find his son unresponsive, naked and alone on the living room sofa.

Tillman is also charged with three misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency and neglect by parents and three misdemeanor counts of child abuse.

Tillman was taken before a Lincoln County magistrate Tuesday afternoon where she was served the involuntary manslaughter warrant. She remains in the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center under a $60,000 secured bond.

A spokesman for the Lincoln County Sheriff's office said it wasn't the first call to the couple's Temple Lane home. Neighbors complained earlier in the year that Tillman's children were roaming the streets without a chaperone. A neighbor said Monday that he has seen the toddlers unattended outside the home and they were naked.

The investigation into the case remains open. The Department of Social Services is also involved. The children are living with relatives.

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