Mother Accused of Slaying in Latest of Children’s Deaths
A woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 3-year-old son last month, and the deaths of two other children in 1987 and 1988 will be investigated, officials said Friday.
Tammy Eveans, 23, of rural Brighton was arrested and charged Thursday after a three-week investigation by the Illinois State Police, the Madison County coroner’s office and the Jersey County Sheriff’s Department, said Jersey County Sheriff Frank Yocum.
The woman is accused of killing her son, Richard Wesley Eveans, by placing her hand over the child’s mouth and suffocating him.
Authorities say the woman had two other children who died in the last two years: 2-month-old Robert Wayne, who suffered a fractured his skull on Aug. 25, 1987, after a reported fall, and 3-week-old Amy, whose Aug. 1, 1988, death was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
