How Did Chance Walsh Die? Infant’s Mother Charged With Murder
The search for missing infant Chance Walsh has come to a tragic but expected end. WINK News reports that the mother of the missing nine-week-old baby (Kristen Bury) has also been charged with first-degree murder. So how did this baby die, and why did his mother allegedly kill him? The details surrounding these latest developments are heartbreaking, but many questions remain.
Authorities in Sarasota, Florida, allege that Kristen Bury led them to the body of her missing nine-week-old baby after a several-weeks-long search proved fruitless for authorities. This also comes after Bury and the child’s father both gave multiple conflicting stories about the whereabouts of their son.
CBS News Crimesider reports that the infant’s body was located approximately 13 miles from his parents’ Florida home. The area in which his remains were found is reportedly secluded, heavily wooded, and not near any residences. In other words, his body was hidden with the intent to conceal his death — and prevent him from being found.
Court documents reveal that Kristin Bury and Joseph Walsh admitted to authorities that baby Chance died on the morning of September 16 in their home (where authorities had found blood spatter during their investigation earlier this month). Bury and Walsh also told detectives that they fled to “start a new life somewhere else,” but their plans were dashed when the baby’s grandmother reported him missing on October 4.
At the time of the discovery of his remains, Chance Walsh had been deceased for approximately one month. This child was never given over to a stranger — as the parents had claimed at one point. Nor was he killed in a car accident while the parents were traveling out of state. All of the stories provided by Bury and Walsh turned out to be completely fabricated. At this time, authorities have not revealed what led Kristin Bury to admit to the boy’s death and lead them to his remains.
When the body of Chance Walsh was discovered by authorities, they also found what appeared to be a “fragment of a blue surgical glove.” The child’s body was clad in only a diaper. Baby Chance’s cause of death is not yet known at this time, nor are authorities confirming whether or not the child may have died by accident or through other means. However, the mother of the once-missing infant has been charged with first degree murder. Meanwhile, Joseph Walsh remains charged with child neglect, but authorities have expressed that they do plan on charging him with murder as well.
Over the course of the search for Chance Walsh, authorities have scoured bodies of water, including a canal that was reportedly behind the home where the infant was last seen. Detectives have even euthanized and examined an alligator under the suspicion that it may have eaten the baby. As it turns out, this was not the case. A vigil will be held on Saturday night in memory of the slain infant. Kristin Bury has since been extradited from South Carolina, back to Florida, where she will ultimately face a murder trial.
Sadly, this is not the first time a Florida mother has been accused of killing her own child. The tragic disappearance and death of Caylee Marie Anthony is still fresh in the minds of Americans, and many believe that her mother Casey Anthony got away with murder after lying to authorities multiple times (just like Kristin Bury and Joseph Walsh). Earlier this year, a Florida mom by the name of Jessica Lacey McCarty was arrested after she reportedly killed two of her young children and severely injuring a third. Also this year, another Florida mom named Cheyanne Jessie was accused of killing her six-year-old daughter so the child wouldn’t interfere with her new relationship.
Photo: Chance Walsh photo courtesy of Sarasota Police
