A 34-year-old woman is facing manslaughter and child endangerment charges after her infant died following a medical call that brought officers to the 3700 block of West 12th Street, where CPR was already underway. Christal Ann Jackson has pleaded not guilty and has a $250,000 bond as detectives continue investigating exactly what happened to her child.
According to THV11, Little Rock police officers responded to the 3700 block of West 12th Street to a medical call with CPR already in progress. As reported by KARK, officers arrived around 10 p.m. Sunday to assist with the medical emergency and were met by Jackson, who told them her infant was unresponsive.
The infant was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but later died from injuries, per THV11. KARK's reporting confirms the child was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
Detectives Build Case, Make Arrest
After further investigation, detectives identified Jackson as a suspect, and the station's report notes she was developed as a suspect and arrested. Police subsequently charged her with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a minor, the same outlet reported.
Jackson has since pleaded not guilty to the charges and has a $250,000 bond, according to THV11. LRPD officials said the investigation is still ongoing, per the same account, meaning additional details or charges could still emerge as detectives continue their work.
A Painful Pattern of Infant Deaths in Little Rock
This is not the first time in recent memory that Little Rock police have investigated the death of an infant under a caregiver's watch. In a separate case, officers responded to the 12000 block of Pleasant Drive on Oct. 2, 2025, after a report of an unresponsive infant who later died at a hospital, according to KARK.
In that case, police said further investigation found that the infant's death happened under adult supervision. An arrest warrant was later issued for the child's father, Troy Childress, on Jan. 14, and he surrendered to authorities two days later, facing a charge of first-degree murder, KARK reported. That case remains a separate matter from Jackson's, with no indication the two are connected.
For now, Jackson's case continues to move through the court system as investigators work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the infant's death.
