1monthold died from cocaine toxicity at Henrico motel, medical examiner says
Sep 30, 2026
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The death of a one-month-old girl was caused by cocaine toxicity, and her manner of death has been ruled a homicide, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The baby's parents were arrested and charged following her death in June at a Henrico County motel
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8News previously reported on court documents that reveal baby L. C. died at a Motel 6 and was born with “high amounts of cocaine in her system." The documents said she wasn’t fed for 12 hours before she died.
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Three people, including the baby’s parents –– 30-year-old Ashton Marie Leeper and 47-year-old Derrick Dwayne Carter –– have been charged in connection with her death.
At about 1 p.m. on Monday, June 29, officers with the Henrico County Police Division were called to the Motel 6 on Williamsburg Road for a report of a medical emergency. When officers arrived, they found baby L. C. unconscious and not breathing.
She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Court records revealed she had been dead for two hours before her parents noticed and called 911.
Leeper and Carter were charged with homicide and child neglect. According to court documents, the parents’ friend –– 53-year-old Christina Anne Snead of Henrico –– was charged with accessory after the fact of homicide.
Snead was arrested on July 16 and is out on bond, while Leeper and Carter were arrested on July 18 and remain in custody.
They are all due back in court in October.
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