A mother and father in Union, South Carolina, have been arrested after their 5-month-old son died, with authorities allegedly believing that they neglected and abused the infant leading up to his passing.
Officers with the Union Public Safety Department responded to Union Medical Center on August 8, 2025, after they received a report about potential child abuse, according to WYFF4.
Once officers arrived at the medical center, they spoke with staff who were treating the injured infant. Staff members said that they did X-rays on the child, which showed signs of broken ribs that were in different stages of healing. The findings led them to believe that the child had likely been abused.
The infant was then transferred to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he tragically died due to his sustained injuries.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services was notified about suspicions regarding the child’s death, and a lengthy investigation was launched into the matter.
Authorities eventually obtained arrest warrants for the child’s parents, Shidaisha Means and Kortez Gabriel Gamble. Means, 24, was charged with homicide by child neglect, while Gamble, 26, was charged with homicide by child abuse.
The couple was arrested on Monday, January 5, and they were booked into the Union County Detention Center, according to online records viewed by Luxury Handbag Shopping. Judge Hines denied bond for both Means and Gamble.
It is not currently clear if Means or Gamble has retained legal representation or entered pleas following their arrests.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division did not immediately respond to Luxury Handbag Shopping’s request for comment regarding the case.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Union County Coroner’s Office and the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office worked together amid the investigation.
Homicide by child neglect is when a person causes the death of a child under the age of eleven while committing child neglect, according to Justia U.S. Law. Meanwhile, the homicide by child abuse charge is similar except with the act of child abuse instead of neglect.
People found guilty of both charges will be sentenced to a lengthy punishment in South Carolina. If Means and Gamble are both found guilty of the charges, they could be sentenced to serve time in prison between 10 to 20 years, per the South Carolina Criminal Law Dayne Phillips website.
When determining the sentencing, a judge must consider aggravating circumstances including the defendant’s history of neglect or abuse towards a child under the age of 11. A judge may also give a more lenient sentence if the defendant has a history of mental illness or has no prior criminal record.
In order to be convicted of homicide by child abuse, it must be proven that the defendant’s actions or inaction directly caused the child’s death, and the child was under 11 years old. Additionally, the child’s death must have happened while the defendant was committing child abuse or neglect. Finally, it must be proven that the child’s death happened due to circumstances that showed an extreme indifference to human life by the defendant.
