A Hubert couple is facing murder charges after their eight-week-old son died from a series of severe injuries that included multiple fractures and damage to his pancreas and intestines, according to Onslow County authorities. Andrew Lee Foxwell, 26, and Lauren Elizabeth Foxwell, 27, each were charged with one open count of murder and one count of felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, and both made their first court appearances this past Friday.
The case began on November 1, when the Onslow County sheriff’s office said it received a report from ECU Health Medical Center about an eight-week-old infant being treated for several serious injuries, according to WITN. The infant had first been taken to a Carteret County medical facility on Halloween before being transferred to ECU Health in Greenville for further evaluation, per the same report. Deputies say the baby died this past Tuesday after what the sheriff’s office described as healthcare workers' efforts to save him, according to WCTI.
Warrants Detail Fractures and Organ Damage
According to warrants cited by the station's report, the eight-week-old had multiple fractures along with injuries to his pancreas and intestines. Once the sheriff's office special victims unit detectives learned of the infant's condition, they launched an investigation into the circumstances behind those injuries, working alongside medical personnel and other investigative partners.
The Foxwells, who reside in Hubert, were booked into the Onslow County Detention Center and are being held without bond, the sheriff's office said. Deputies said the investigation remains active.
Other Onslow and North Carolina Infant Deaths
This is not the first time Onslow County has seen a parent charged after an infant's death. In a separate case reported by WWAY, 37-year-old Anthony Young of Richlands was charged with murder after his roughly one-year-old daughter died; Onslow County Sheriff Hans Miller said the child suffered severe blood loss and that rescue crews were not able to revive her.
Elsewhere in the state, an Iredell County case detailed by the Charlotte Observer described a three-month-old girl who died at a Mooresville home on May 13 after evidence indicated she had lost approximately one-third of her body weight since birth. Investigators in that case said the infant's parents and grandparents all lived in the home and shared responsibility for her care, and the sheriff's office ruled her cause of death severe protein-calorie malnutrition due to caregiver neglect, classifying it as a homicide. An Iredell County grand jury later indicted the girl's parents on felony first-degree murder charges, after all four adults in the household had initially faced felony child abuse and aiding-and-abetting charges, per the Observer's reporting.
