St. Louis has been shaken by the tragic death of two-year-old Bre'yeon Wells, whose life was prematurely ended in an act of brutality that has gripped the community. Fox2Now reports that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) has taken 21-year-old Nicco Cotton into custody after he turned himself in connection with the toddler's murder. On Thursday, officials announced he faces charges that include second-degree murder and abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death.
On Monday evening, police were called to the 4900 block of Thekla where they found Bre'yeon unresponsive. According to a release obtained by KSDK, emergency services soon after responded to a second call regarding Bre'yeon near the intersection of Interstate 70 and St. Louis Avenue. The young boy was taken to the hospital with injuries associated with asphyxiation and abdominal trauma, only to be pronounced dead. After a medical examination, evidence surfaced to confirm the worst: the child had not merely been strangled but was also victim to a sexual assault.
The case deepened as authorities pieced together the sequence of events leading to the child's death. First Alert 4 detailed that the Medical Examiner ruled the incident a homicide after noting signs of strangulation and other abuse-related injuries. It was noted that Bre'yeon was in the care of Cotton, who wasn't his parent and was at a residence not belonging to the child, as he recounted to officials post-Miranda. Charged with a slew of offenses, Cotton also faces accusations of both first-degree sodomy and statutory sodomy—deviate sexual intercourse with a child less than 12 years old.
As the investigation continues to unfold, the community has come together to mourn the loss, with a balloon release held in honor of young Bre'yeon. Cotton, now detained in the St. Louis City Justice Center, has shaken a neighborhood to its core. His next court appearance, as KSDK disclosed, has yet to be scheduled.
