Arrest Made In Infant Death

A 50-year-old Greer woman is behind bars after being arrested for drinking alcohol and allowing her 5-week-old granddaughter to die in between the cushions of a couch while she slept. 

On Nov. 13, at approximately 6:15 a.m., the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office responded to 4059 Jordan Road in Greer regarding a 5-week old child who had died. 

According to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office, the parents of the child awakened to find the child not in her bassinet in their bedroom. The mother of the baby went to the living room of the home to find the baby girl in between the cushions of the couch, with the child's grandmother, Debra Slacks, asleep on the couch.  

According to the arrest warrant, Slacks had consumed alcoholic beverages while knowing she'd be caring for the child. Investigators reportedly obtained evidence and recorded statements that implicated Slacks in causing the child's death by allowing the infant to slip from her arms as she slept and fall behind the cushion of the couch they were sitting on. 

Slacks was arrested Monday on a charge of unlawful neglect of a child, a charge that could result in a sentence of up to 10 years in jail if she is convicted. No bond has yet been set.