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WINFIELD, Ala. (WBRC) – The mother of a missing one-year-old boy told Fayette County investigators her fiancé, Steven Collins, told her he was going to kill their son, Kahleb, and sent her pictures of his bruised and bloodied body, according to court documents.
Wendy Pamela Bailey is charged with domestic violence, corpse abuse, criminally negligent homicide, and aggravated child abuse.
Kahleb Collins’ disappearance wasn’t discovered until after his family was involved in a deadly crash on December 8.
His father, Steven Collins, was driving at least 92 miles-per-hour when he went off the road and crashed into a tree, according to a state crash report. Bailey was critically hurt and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Ryleigh, who was not in a car seat, was killed. Collins also died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Sources tell WBRC 6 News an out-of-state family member questioned where Kahleb was after the crash, leading authorities to begin their search.
Bailey’s father, John Elton Bailey, who lived with his daughter’s family, was arrested and charged on December 11 with failure to report a missing child.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office confirmed its investigation into Kahleb’s disappearance on December 16, and The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued an Emergency Missing Child Alert for the baby on December 17.
Ms. Bailey was released from UAB Hospital on December 30 and immediately transported to the Fayette County Jail and charged in connection with the deaths of both of her children.
She is accused of causing her daughter’s death, failing to report abuse of her son, and showing “extreme indifference” to the value of her son’s life.
Disclaimer: This portion of our report contains graphic details.
“Wendy Pamela Jean Bailey acknowledged the fact of knowing and failing to intervene on more that [sic] two occasions that Khaleb Rowan Collins was physically abused by tortuous means such as being bound with rope, physically assaulted, and being bound by a rope from a loft.”
Collins sent pictures to Ms. Bailey of their son hanging from a rope with blood on his body, and a photo of him lying on the floor with extreme bruising, followed by the messages, “He want [sic] move,” and “Im [sic] so sorry,” according to court records.
Collins then sent a message stating, “He moving” to which Ms. Bailey responded, “He just looks wore out and tried and hurt hopefully that’s all,” according to court records.
Ms. Bailey also told investigators Collins sent her a text message saying he was going to kill their son.
Her domestic violence and child abuse charges stem from incidents in July 2024, and the corpse abuse allegedly happened on September 29, weeks after Kahleb’s last confirmed sighting on September 4, according to ALEA.
According to a court record, Ms. Bailey told investigators “…upon the death of Kahleb Rowan Collins his body was placed into a bag and stored in an outside storage building for a brief period prior to final disposal at an unknown location.”
Fayette County investigators have not found Kahleb’s remains.
Ms. Bailey is charged with criminally negligent homicide in the death of her daughter, Ryleigh, because, according to court records, her failure to ensure the toddler was properly restrained caused her death.
Investigators said more charges are possible.
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