A Rutherford County Grand Jury has indicted a man about the demise of an infant in Murfreesboro. The incident, which occurred in October 2023, involved a baby who was found unresponsive on Bishop Street on Thursday. First responders transported the child to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, where the baby was pronounced dead, as reported by WSMV.
The Rutherford Source states that the indictment charges Scott W. Smith with aggravated child neglect and first-degree murder following an investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division Special Victims Unit of the Murfreesboro Police Department. The case had been presented to the county's grand jury during its October session.
Smith is scheduled for arraignment on the charges on Monday, October 28. The WKRN reports that the Grand Jury returned a sealed indictment detailing the aggravated child neglect and first-degree murder charges. Murfreesboro Police had been called to the scene on the said date in October 2023 in response to the unresponsive child.
Smith's arraignment will occur at 9 a.m. in a courtroom yet to be disclosed. These recent developments bring the case one step closer to a courtroom, where details surrounding the infant's tragic end will be examined in the pursuit of justice.
