Baby dies after ‘parents rubbed alcohol on her gums almost everyday’ to calm her

A couple has been charged with murder after their baby died due to them reportedly rubbing alcohol on her gums to calm her down.

Joseph Smith and Angel Talbert, both of Gassaway, West Virginia, are at the center of a disturbing case that has horrified a community and prompted serious questions about the care their child received in her final days, per the Mirror.

The young girl, who has not been named publicly, was found unresponsive on November 16, 2024.

Smith told investigators he woke up sometime between 4:00AM and 5:00AM and discovered his daughter face-down in her crib, not breathing. He said he “immediately” alerted Talbert and told her to call emergency services.

But instead of waiting for help, the pair reportedly rushed their child into a car and drove toward the nearest hospital.

They were met by an ambulance en route, which took over and attempted life-saving procedures. The baby was pronounced dead at 5:32AM at Braxton County Memorial Hospital, according to Law and Order.

Talbert confirmed Smith’s account, telling authorities their daughter had shown no signs of illness and had no preexisting medical conditions.

It wasn’t until around 7:52AM that day that police were formally notified of the death.

Officers from the Braxton County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to the hospital. When they examined the infant, they noted her face was “discolored as if the baby had been face down.”

Then came the autopsy results – and the case took a grim turn.

On April 10, investigators were informed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner that the baby’s liver tested positive for ethanol, with a reading of 3.21. Law and Crime reported that this level would be “fatal to an infant.”

Four days later, police delivered the postmortem findings to Smith and Talbert. Both insisted their daughter had been healthy and not on any medication. But in a follow-up interview on April 16, Talbert offered a devastating new detail.

“During the interview [Talbert] told [investigators] that after the first interview on 04/14/2025 that James Smith told her that he would take alcohol and rub [it] on the infant child’s gums and around her mouth when the infant would get irritable and fussy,” court documents stated.

“A short time later James Smith stated that him and [Talbert] would both rub alcohol on the infants gums and they had done it almost everyday for a month prior to the infant death.”

The confession rocked the case wide open.

Now, both Smith and Talbert have been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, child neglect resulting in death, and conspiracy against the state, Law and Crime reports.

The couple was arrested last week and taken to Central Regional Jail, where they remain held without bond.