Owsley County docket lists Deeann and Charles Bennett arraignments in infant death

Booneville Sentinel’s public-record docket published March 4 lists arraignments for Deeann Bennett, 27, and Charles Bennett, 32, among Circuit Court matters for early March, with the Sentinel entry for Circuit 3/2/26 showing: “Deeann Bennett — arraignment; reckless homicide, tamper evidence, abuse of corpse, conceal birth of infant” and “Charles Bennett — arraignment; reckless homicide, conceal birth of infant.”

Kentucky State Police reporting summarized by LEX18 places the origin of the probe on Nov. 29, 2024, when KSP Post 7 in Richmond received a 911 call about a woman taken to a local hospital after reporting a possible miscarriage. While at the hospital, the couple allegedly told police the infant remained at their home on Lewis Lane in Booneville; troopers responded and “found an unresponsive infant over an embankment outside of the home,” according to KSP reporting cited by LEX18 and WKYT.

The infant was pronounced dead at the scene by the Owsley County coroner and, LEX18 reports, “was then taken to the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.” LEX18 also reports that an Owsley County Grand Jury “indicted 27-year-old Deeann Bennett and 32-year-old Charles Bennett on Jan. 22,” and that “on Feb. 9, 2026, Deeann was charged with reckless homicide, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and concealing the birth of an infant, while Charles was charged with reckless homicide and concealing the birth of an infant.”

Local television outlets WVLT and WKYT have reported substantially the same facts, with WVLT stating both defendants “were both charged with reckless homicide and concealing the death of an infant” and noting Deeann faces additional counts for tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. Multiple outlets state the Bennetts “are lodged in the Three Forks Regional Jail awaiting their arraignment.”

The Sentinel’s docket places the Bennett arraignments within a broader calendar of Circuit and District business on March 2, March 5 and March 6, 2026, including other serious criminal entries such as Cloyd Burkhart — “arraignment; murder” and Jessie Bennett — “status hearing; sexual abuse victim under age 12 1st deg, sexual abuse 1st deg.” The Sentinel cautions the list is “not an official docket” and that the “Docket subject to changes before/after publication.”

Owsley County residents seeking confirmation should note the published dates and items but verify with the Owsley County Circuit Court clerk or Kentucky State Police for official charge language, indictment records, and whether the March arraignments occurred or were rescheduled. The apparent differences in reporting timestamps - a grand-jury indictment cited for Jan. 22 and a separate charging date cited as Feb. 9, 2026 - remain matters to reconcile with KSP and the Commonwealth’s Attorney before treating either as the final procedural posture.

Formal arraignments and any subsequent filings will determine next legal steps in the infant-death investigation; until then the listed charges remain allegations drawn from KSP reporting and the Sentinel public docket.