Devon Nelson and Tamara Corbett.
A North Carolina man and his girlfriend have been arrested in the death of his 6-year-old son. Devon J. Nelson, 30, was booked into jail for allegedly murdering the child. Tamara D. Corbett, 24, is locked up on a related charge.
According to police in High Point, North Carolina, officers responded Sunday to a local hospital regarding the boy who was brought there by the father.
“Special Victims Unit and Violent Crimes Unit detectives began investigating the death as suspicious,” officers said. “They quickly determined it should be treated as a homicide. Search warrants were obtained for the residence and the vehicle used to transport the deceased to the hospital.”
Nelson and his girlfriend Corbett were interviewed by detectives at the police department and were arrested for felony child abuse, according to police.
“Investigators contacted the Department of Social Services (DSS), who took custody of two other children (age 3 and 4) in the home as result of the charges,” police said.
Legal ramifications for the couple became more serious for Nelson on Monday. Detectives said that is when they attended the 6-year-old boy’s autopsy. Officers vaguely described that there was a “significant history and a pattern of physical abuse.”
“The Medical Examiner attributed the death of the child to blunt force trauma about the body,” police said. “As a result, additional charges on Devon Nelson were obtained for First Degree Murder, and additional charges on Tamara Corbett were obtained for Accessory After the Fact.”
Nelson and Corbett are scheduled for first appearances in court on Tuesday, a Gilford County clerk told Law&Crime. Nelson’s attorney of record did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for comment. Corbett has no lawyer on record.
[Mugshots via High Point Police Department]