FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – The State of Alabama has filed a motion objecting to youthful offender status being granted to one of the five people charged in connection with the death of four-month-old Autumn Wells in March.
Madison Jade McCalpin, who was 17 at the time of the infant’s death, was scheduled to receive a youthful offender hearing on Monday, September 12 at the Franklin County Courthouse.
In its objection, the State said prosecutors had consulted with Wells’s family before filing the objection.
Authorities responded to the Tiny Tigers daycare facility in Red Bay on March 9, and Wells was taken to a local hospital. She was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arrival. Court documents show she died after being left on her stomach on a “Boppy” pillow for an extended period of time.
McCalpin, along with Angelene Chamblee, Payton Nicole Gann, Teia Kay Gann, and Hannah Grace Letson were indicted in June. All were arrested and released from jail the same day.
At the time of their arrest, Payton Gann and Madison McCalpin were both charged with manslaughter and false reporting to law enforcement. Teia Gann and Hannah Letson were both charged with witness tampering, while Letson was also charged with tampering with physical evidence. Angelene Chamblee, the owner of the daycare, was charged with six counts of child care act violation and two counts of forgery.
Four of the five people indicted pleaded not guilty later in June; McCalpin had not entered a plea as of Tuesday.
Following Wells’ death, the Alabama Department of Human Resources conducted an investigation along with the Red Bay Police Department.
McCalpin has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m on Oct. 27 at the Franklin County Courthouse.
The other four women are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing at 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 28 with a jury trial set to begin on Oct. 17.