Authorities Suspect Missing Alabama Toddler Passed Away Months Earlier

FAYETTE, Ala.—According to a criminal complaint filed Monday against the mother of a missing Alabama toddler, the woman informed investigators that her son had died and that his remains were stored in a bag within a storage shed before being relocated.

Authorities remain uncertain about the whereabouts of 1-year-old Kahleb Collins’s remains, and efforts to locate them continue.

The investigation suggests that the child died in September or October, but his disappearance only came to light following a car accident on Dec. 8, which resulted in the deaths of his father and 2-year-old sister. The child’s mother, Wendy Pamela Bailey, sustained injuries in the incident.

On Monday, the 22-year-old was arrested on charges including child abuse, domestic violence, and the abuse of a corpse, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office reported. Additionally, she faces charges of criminally negligent homicide due to her 2-year-old daughter not being secured in a child restraint during the Dec. 8 crash.

Court records do not indicate whether Bailey has legal representation.

According to the documented accusations, investigators believe that Kahleb’s father, Steven Bradley “Brad” Collins, had subjected the child to physical abuse. The charges allege that the mother did not report or intervene in the abusive behavior and was aware that her son’s body was placed in an outdoor storage shed.

Authorities have yet to clarify the circumstances surrounding the child’s death or who may have disposed of his remains.

The complaint outlines some details regarding the alleged abuse, noting that in July, Steven Collins sent Bailey disturbing images of the injured child, including one of him hanging from a rope and another of him bruised on the floor.

Further messages from Collins included statements like, “He won’t move,” “I’m so sorry,” and “He’s moving.” Bailey’s response to one such message was, “He just looks wore out and tired and hopefully that’s all.”

Investigators revealed that the child’s father was the driver in the fatal crash on Dec. 8.