Horrifying details of Kahleb Collins’ alleged abuse revealed in court documents
The body of a missing Alabama toddler was put into a bag and placed in an outdoor storage shed before being moved to a still-unknown location, according to court documents made public Tuesday.
Kahleb Collins was discovered to be missing after a crash killed his father and sister and critically injured his mother, who is now jailed in connection to his and his sister’s deaths.
Authorities have not said how the 1-year-old died, and his remains have not yet been found.
His mother, Wendy “Pam” Bailey, 22, is charged with abuse of corpse, a Class C felony, aggravated child abuse, a Class A Felony, first-degree domestic violence, a Class A felony, and criminally negligent homicide, a Class A misdemeanor, 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced Monday.
The criminally negligent homicide charge is for the death of 2-year-old Ryleigh Collins.
The girl was killed in the horrific Dec. 8 crash that also killed 40-year-old Steven Bradley “Brad” Collins, who was Bailey’s husband and the father of Ryleigh and Kahleb.
The investigation showed Ryleigh was unrestrained when the fatal crash happened that Sunday morning.
Kahleb Rowan Collins, 1, and sister, 2-year-old Ryleigh Collins.Facebook
The rest of the charges are linked to the presumed death of Kahleb.
Charging documents against Bailey said, “after Kahleb died, 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.”
On the aggravated child abuse and domestic violence charges, the criminal complaint states that some time in July, Bailey blatantly, and on more than two occasions, failed to report or intervene during known physical abuse.
In one instance, records state, Bailey received a message from Collins saying that he was going to kill Kahleb.
That message was followed by photographs of Kahleb “hanging from a loft with a rope with blood present on his body,’ and of him lying bruised and face up on the floor.
The photos, according to court documents were followed by another message from Collins that read, “He want (sic) move. I’m so sorry.”
Collins then sent another message that read, “He moving.”
Bailey acknowledged the photos and replied, “He just looks wore out and tire (sic) and hurt hopefully that’s all.”
“Wendy Bailey failed to intervene or notify law enforcement after she was made aware of the extreme circumstances and assault that had occurred to Kahleb Collins,’’ the documents state.
Steven Bradly Collins, left, and Ryleight Collins, right were killed in a Dec. 8, 2024, traffic crash in Fayette County. Wendy Pam Bailey, center, is in critical condition.(Facebook)
Investigators with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and the 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office interviewed Bailey several times while she was hospitalized at UAB in Birmingham.
On Monday, the arrest warrants against Bailey were served. Bailey was released from UAB Hospital and booked into the Fayette County Jail.
Prosecutors are asking that she be held without bond under Aniah’s Law.
“This investigation has been particularly challenging as it involved the tragic deaths of two young children,’’ District Attorney Andy Hamlin said.
“I want to commend the efforts and cooperation shown by every agency involved: the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama State Troopers.”
The investigation began that Sunday when the crash happened on Fayette County 73 near Morris Cemetery Road, about two miles south of Glen Allen.
A crash report said Collins was driving 92 mph hour on the road that had a 45-mph speed limit.
“The driver …was driving aggressively at an extreme rate of speed,’’ the ALEA trooper wrote. “Due to his actions, the driver was unable to operate his vehicle safely on the wet roadway.”
The wreck happened when Collins was trying to negotiate a curve to the right, according to the report.
The force of the impact caused Collins and his wife to be ejected from the truck. They were not wearing seat belts.
Ryleigh Collins, who was unrestrained in the back seat, was pronounced dead on the scene at 11 a.m.
Collins, who worked for a roofing company, was taken by ambulance to UAB Hospital, where he died the following day at 1:06 p.m.
Bailey was airlifted to UAB.
Following the deadly crash, investigators learned that Kahleb was missing.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office several days later issued a press release saying the 1-year-old had been missing since the Dec. 8 single-vehicle crash.
The following day, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a missing alert for Kahleb.
Investigators carried out multiple searches at the family’s home on Highway 129 in the Winfield area and traveled to Birmingham several times to interview Bailey at the hospital.
Court records indicate the Alabama Department of Human Resources had been involved with the family.
The boy’s grandfather, 55-year-old John Elton Bailey, is charged with failure to report a missing child as officials alleged that Kahleb was last seen Sept. 4.
The criminal complaint states Bailey “failed to report a missing child by delaying to make or failing to cause to be made the report with willful and reckless disregard for the safety of the child and the child suffered serious bodily harm or death, to wit: physical injuries to the child and the child was removed from the home and taken to an unknown location and no report was made by any resident of the home.”
Bailey was arrested Dec. 11 and remains held in the Fayette County Jail on $100,000 bond.
One of Bailey’s appointed attorneys, James Standridge, said the public defender’s office is now working to learn the facts of the case prior to the preliminary hearing which is set for Jan. 15.
John Bailey is Wendy Bailey’s father and lived with the family.
Brad Collins on Nov. 6 posted this on Facebook: “Our son is not doing well. He is not growing has major back issues. His organs are growing but not his body. He has to have surgery at some point. Keep him in your prayers. Been rough and just seems going to be a long rough road ahead of us.”
The investigation is ongoing with additional charges possible against the mother, Hamlin said.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 205-932-3205, the State Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-392-8011 or Hamlin’s office at 205-367-9915.
“Now that the charges have been brought,” Hamlin said, “I look forward to getting the case to court to seek justice for these two innocent children.”
Read More