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Parents face murder charges following 2-year-old’s death in York

YORKTOWN, Va. (WAVY) – The parents of a 2-year-old girl who died in July are now facing murder charges.

According to the York Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Clerk, Jesse Gunn, 37, and Anna Raines, 29, are now being charged with one count of murder in the death of their 2-year-old daughter.


The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office says the charges were upgraded to homicide after receiving a report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Gunn and Raines were served warrants for homicide on Oct. 13.

The ME’s report stated that the cause of death for the 2-year-old was, “Acute combined fentanyl and Xylazine overdose in addition to nicotine exposure; Laboratory evidence of SARS-COVID-19 Infection.”

According to a criminal complaint obtained by 10 On Your Side, the 2-year-old was found dead on July 7 at a home in the 100 block of Aberfeldy Way in Yorktown.

The murder charges are being added to the child neglect charges the two are already facing, WAVY confirmed. The neglect charges were filed due to the living conditions found in the couple’s home, according to the sheriff’s office.

When investigators arrived at the scene, they found the house to be very dirty and found items such as syringes and urine-soaked baby blankets inside the home.

Investigators believe the little girl had been dead for some time before they arrived, however, the results of her autopsy are still pending.

Gunn and Raines were arrested and charged with one count of felony child neglect back in July. 59-year-old Timothy Raines, who is the grandfather of the 2-year-old and also lived in the Aberfeldy Way home, was arrested on July 28 and charged with one felony count of child neglect.

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