Insets (left to right): Kerry Blackburn and Desiree Blackburn (Guilford County Sheriff's Office). Background: Hilltop Road in Greensboro, N.C. (Google Maps).
The mother and grandmother of a 9-month-old girl who died last year in North Carolina have been charged with the baby's murder.
Kerry Blackburn, 54, and Desiree Blackburn, 34, were both charged with second-degree murder and child abuse more than a year after Desiree Blackburn's 9-month-old daughter died. According to the Greensboro Police Department, officers responded to a call about an "unresponsive infant" at the Blackburns' home in Greensboro, North Carolina, at 12:11 p.m. on June 18, 2025. The baby girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
More than a year later, prosecutors said evidence from the scene and the baby's toxicology report led them to issue warrants for Kerry and Desiree Blackburn.
Police said Kerry Blackburn was arrested on Aug. 14; Desiree Blackburn was arrested on Tuesday.
The mother and daughter both appeared for a court hearing on Tuesday. According to courtroom reporting by local Fox affiliate WGHP, the medical examiner reported that the baby had fentanyl in her system at the time of her death. Informed by evidence found at the home and the medical examiner's report, officers determined that Desiree Blackburn allegedly "consumed a portion of some fentanyl and put the rest in her bra, and the baby later got a hold of that and passed away from that."
Prosecutors said baby cameras used in the home captured several instances of an allegedly dangerous environment for the infant before her death, including "what we would believe are drug deals that are going on while in the living room while the baby was present. At times, the baby would fall over. Sometimes, the baby would be covered in a blanket."
WGHP reported that Desiree Blackburn was in the hospital at the time of her arrest and appeared on video for her court appearance from her hospital bed. Prosecutors did not provide specific details about Kerry Blackburn's alleged role in the baby's death.
Both defendants were denied pretrial release. Kerry Blackburn is currently in custody at the Greensboro Detention Center. Both women are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 27.
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