Couple 'killed daughter, 1, after strapping her in a car seat for 15 hours with a blanket stuffed in her mouth to keep her from crying'



17-month-old Toni Maurie Gwynn found unresponsive on July 11

Her parents, 22-year-olds Antonio and Heather Gwynn, have been charged with felony child abuse and second-degree murder in her death



Family said they tried to help the couple but they cut them out



The parents of a 17-month-old girl have been arrested after she was allegedly strapped in a car seat for 15 hours without food or water and suffocated to death after a blanket was stuffed into her mouth.



Toni Maurie Gwynn was found unresponsive at her parents' home in Eden, North Carolina on July 11 after her father, Antonio Gwynn, 22, allegedly forced the blanket into the child's mouth to stop her from crying.



Her father, Antonio Gwynn, 22, has been charged with felony child abuse and second-degree murder and her mother, Heather Gwynn, 22, has been charged with felony child abuse.



Innocence: Toni Maurie Gwynn died after she was strapped in a car seat and left without food or water for 15 hours. Her father allegedly shoved a blanket in her mouth after 12 hours, suffocating her

Toni's grandparents, Chris and Sue Paul, have told the Greensboro News-Record that they fought to help the girl and her two siblings, but that their daughter would not let them get close.

'She just shut us out of her life,' Chris Paul of Heather Gwynn. 'I think she knew if we saw how bad things were in that house, we wouldn't have put up with it.'

The couple said they moved to North Carolina from Maine to help their daughter with her children, but that Heather distanced herself from the family.

'We were afraid for their safety,' Sue Paul said, claiming that family members had called child services to voice their concerns.

One relative 'called on numerous occasions and her cries were left unanswered', she said. The county would not comment on the case, citing confidentiality.

Mrs Paul described how their daughter pushed them away and refused their help.

Accused: Antonio Gwynn, left, and Heather Gwynn, right, have been charged with felony child abuse



Worries: Neighbors said Mrs Gwynn, pictured with another daughter, was controlled by her husband

'We came over here at Christmas with presents for the kids, just to make sure they had a Christmas,' she said. 'They wouldn't even let us in.'

She added that they only met their granddaughter once and were not allowed to take pictures of her - and that they learned about the death on the news.

Victim: Relatives said they tried to care for Toni but that her parents did not let them close

Tragically, many neighbors said they suspected that Toni, her five year-old-sister and their five-month-old sister were mistreated and left alone in the house.

Neighbor Tina Rogers said she knew that something was going to happen to one of the children.

'And it didn’t have to happen,' she told the News Record. 'If they needed help they could have given that baby to me, to any one of the neighbors, and we would have helped.'

She added that Antonio Gwynn controlled and beat his wife and that neighbors would hear her screaming during fights throughout the night.

Police and paramedics were called to the family's house in Eden by the parents after they said they found her not breathing. The little girl was rushed to Morehead Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Police interviewed the parents about the details leading up to the girl's death and while investigations were underway, the couple moved out of their home.

When authorities went back for a final interview, they found that the parents were missing and arrest warrants were issued after they failed to attend a scheduled meeting with social services.

The couple had fled to a relative's vacant trailer in Caswell County and were discovered when the relatives went to check on it. They then contacted authorities.



Scene: The little girl was found unresponsive at her parents' home, pictured, on July 11 and later died

Heather Gwynn's bail has been set at $1 million, while her husband's has been set at $3 million.



Toni's siblings are now in foster homes but the family said they hope that an aunt will get custody.

'The condition at the house is not good for any of the children,' said Lt. Clinton Simpson with the Eden Police Department.

