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By Dan Raby
Georgia (WUPA) — A federal grand jury has charged a couple with allegedly starving their infant son to death and abusing their dogs while one of them was stationed at Georgia’s Fort Benning.
Ladarrion McCray, 23, and Emma Bradshaw, 22, were each charged with felony murder by child abuse, first-degree cruelty to children, animal crushing, animal cruelty, aggravated animal cruelty, and making false statements.
Prosecutors say that McCray, an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, had recently been transferred to Fort Benning. When Bradshaw joined him to live at the base, she was pregnant with their son.
According to the indictment, the couple deprived their son of food for two weeks. The boy died on Jan. 28, 2026, authorities say.
On the same day, members of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division searched their home and found two dogs, a male hound and a female Doberman, who appeared to be extremely malnourished. A dachshund was found dead in a trash barrel outside. An examination of the two living animals revealed that they were suffering from severe malnutrition. A necropsy revealed the third dog died from starvation, officials say.
Authorities also accused McCray and Bradshaw of lying to investigators by claiming that their child showed no signs of illness before he died and that their dachshund died from illness and was buried in a nearby park.
“However, the indictment alleges both knew their son was suffering from severe malnourishment prior to his death, and that the dog’s remains were placed in a garbage bag and disposed of in the household trash near their residence,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia wrote in a release.
McCray and Bradshaw face up to life in federal prison if convicted. There is no parole in the federal prison system. Army officials are also moving to remove McCray from military service.
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