Athens, Tennessee, man’s charges upped to first-degree murder after infant found dead in car

An Athens, Tennessee, man has been indicted on a first-degree murder count in the death of his infant daughter, who was left in a car for hours in August while he worked nearby.

Timothy Blackdeer, 35, originally charged with reckless homicide, saw the charges upgraded to first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse and neglect after being indicted by a Hamilton County grand jury on Tuesday. The child’s mother, Catelin Blackdeer, has also been charged with criminally negligent homicide, according to an indictment.

The infant, Violet Blackdeer, was found unresponsive in her father’s arms after police pulled him over for driving erratically on Aug. 12. He exited the vehicle and handed Collegedale Police Chief Jack Sapp the child, who was limp and unresponsive with blue lips.

After emergency medical procedures and assistance from bystanders who said they were nurse practitioners failed, the infant was taken to Erlanger Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

(READ MORE: Infant left in car in Collegedale found dead by police)

Blackdeer reportedly told police that the infant was left unattended in the vehicle while he worked at a job site all day.

Blackdeer was supposed to take his three youngest children to the babysitter that morning, according to an affidavit from police. The babysitter called the children’s mother, Catelin Blackdeer, to report that only two of the three had been dropped off.

The mother said she assumed Violet had stayed home with the older children, but didn’t call to check with them until she picked up the others from the babysitter. When she called and spoke with one of the older children, she found out Violet was not there, according to the affidavit. She called the father, who ran back to his car to discover the child still in the vehicle.

The grand jury found that the mother’s actions were criminally negligent, ultimately leading to the death of the child. Catelin Blackdeer’s bond is set at $15,000.

Contact Kailee Shores at kshores@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.