Suspect charged in child abuse and death, SLED says

EDGEFIELD, SC (WRDW/WAGT) – A 30-year-old man has been charged with the continued abuse and killing of a child, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

***WARNING: The following details are graphic and may be disturbing to some readers.***

On Wednesday, we learned that the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement has charged Caleb Jochen Carter, 30, of Berkeley County, with two counts of unlawfully exposing or willfully abandoning a child to endangerment or harm on Friday, August 23, 2024.

According to the affidavit, Carter, who had supervision or custody of a child, was unlawfully exposed to an unreasonable risk of harm in October 2020.

The affidavit states that Carter placed or allowed an unsafe mouthpiece into the victim's mouth, which resulted in an obstruction of the upper airway and caused the child's death.

Before the child's death, between July and October 2020, Carter inflicted or allowed several injuries to the child, including bruising to several parts of the body, particularly the chest, back, scrotum, eye, ear and jaw, according to the affidavit.

According to authorities, Carter was taken to the Edgefield County Detention Center.

According to SLED, the case is being prosecuted by the 11th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

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