Missing Alabama Infant Kahleb Collins Believed Dead, Mom Charged With 4 Felonies

Kahleb Collins, an Alabama infant who has been unaccounted for since September has been dead for months, police said Monday, and his mother has been charged with several felonies after surviving a catastrophic wreck that killed the rest of their family.

As the Thread has previously reported, police have been urgently searching for 1-year-old Kahleb Rowan Collins, who was unaccounted for after his father, 40-year-old Steven Collins, drove his Toyota Tacoma into a tree a high-speed, killing himself and his 2-year-old daughter Ryleigh Collins.

Wendy Bailey, who is Kahleb and Ryleigh's 22-year-old mother, was also in the truck and was badly injured in the wreck - she has been in critical condition since it happened on December 8th.

After the crash, police learned about Kahleb, who was not in the truck at the time of the wreck. Since then, they have been trying to locate the 1-year-old and eventually, they determined the baby had been unaccounted for since September.

On December 11th, the kids' grandfather, 55-year-old John Elton Bailey, was arrested in Fayette County and charged with failure to report a missing person.

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Now, after nearly two weeks of silence about the case, police have shared a tragic update - they believe Kahleb is dead, and have charged his mother, Wendy Bailey, with a trio of felonies in connection to the complex case.

On Monday, District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced that Bailey has been charged with aggravated child abuse, first-degree domestic violence and abuse of a corpse for her role in Kahleb's death and disappearance. The young boy's body has still not been recovered.

Hamlin said Bailey is also charged with the criminally negligent homicide of her 2-year-old daughter, Ryleigh, for allowing her to be in the truck and unrestrained when Steven Collins crashed it.

The child abuse, domestic violence and homicide charges are all class A felonies. The abuse of a corpse is a class C felony.

Bailey was placed in the Fayette County Jail on Monday afternoon. Hamlin said the SBI brought the charges and will request her bond be denied pursuant to Anaih’s Law.

“This investigation has been particularly challenging as it involved the tragic deaths of two young children,” 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin said. “I want to commend the efforts and cooperation shown by every agency involved: the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama State Troopers.”

For more updates on this tragic case as it is publicly released, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.