A baby died and a family member has been arrested, SC police say

A Midlands woman was arrested after a baby she was watching for a family member died, the Sumter Police Department said Thursday.

Victoria Dukes was charged with unlawful neglect of a child, police said in a news release. The 48-year-old Sumter resident was denied bond and is behind bars at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center, jail records show.

Dukes, a family member, was caring for the 21-month-old girl while the child’s mother, who lives in Manning, went to work, according to the release.

On Sunday, Dukes drove from her home in Sumter to return the child to her family in Manning, police said. The child, however, was unresponsive when she was given to the immediate family, according to the release.

Family members then rushed the child to McLeod Health Clarendon Hospital where she died shortly after arrival, police said.

The hospital contacted the Sumter County Coroner’s Office, which notified police and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which is responsible for investigating all child deaths.

Information on the baby’s cause of death was not available, but it continues to be investigated by police, SLED and the coroner’s office.

If convicted on the felony unlawful neglect of a child charge, the maximum punishment Dukes would face is 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.

The charges against Dukes could be upgraded pending toxicology results, which might take several weeks, according to the release.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 12:43 PM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription