4-month-old died after day care worker put her down for nap

Background: News footage of the Tiny Tigers day care center in Red Bay, Ala. (WAFF). Inset: News footage of Payton Gann in court (WAFF).

An Alabama woman who used to work at a day care center was found responsible for the death of a 4-month-old baby who died on her watch.

Payton Gann, whose age was not available, was found guilty by a jury in June after she faced a charge of manslaughter in connection with the death of 4-month-old Autumn Wells. Gann, who is one of four people facing charges in the baby’s death, was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison; however, she will only have to serve six years behind bars plus five years of probation. If she violates her probation, she will have to serve the full 20-year sentence.

Prosecutors said that Gann was one of two women who had direct responsibility for Autumn on March 9, 2022. That day, Gann lay Autumn down on her stomach on a “Boppy” pillow and covered her with a blanket for a nap. Gann then left the baby alone “for an extended period of time.” When Gann returned, the baby was unresponsive.

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According to courtroom coverage by local NBC affiliate WAFF, Gann and Madison McCalpin were both tasked with caring for Autumn that day, and both were charged with manslaughter. McCalpin took a plea deal, which included her testimony against Gann. She told the court that Gann gave her permission to leave Autumn while she made a phone call before leaving the room herself.

McCalpin testified that Gann told her to tell others that Autumn died while she was on a swing. Gann’s mother, Teia Gann, also told others to lie about how Autumn died and who was in the room at the time, according to an indictment obtained by local ABC affiliate WAAY. Teia Gann was charged with tampering with a witness and took a plea deal in May.

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During trial, the medical examiner testified that Autumn’s body temperature was 90.4 degrees when she reached the hospital. That temperature indicated that Autumn had been dead for about two hours.

Testimony by an Alabama Department of Human Resources employee during Gann’s trial also revealed lax practices by the day care’s owner, Angelene Chamblee, who has been accused of forgery and keeping out-of-date records.

Gann was also found guilty of false reporting. She was sentenced to one year in Franklin County Jail for that charge. That will be served on top of five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation.