The mother of accused child killer Robert Babcock is in the Collingsworth County Jail this morning facing charges related to the death of her grandson, Chance Mark Jones, one year ago.
Gayle Edes of Clarendon was indicted by the Donley County Grand Jury yesterday, January 4, 2012, on the first degree felony charge of Injury to a Child by Omission, District Attorney Luke Inman told the Enterprise.
Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said he arrested Edes last night about 8 p.m., and she was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Connie Havens. Bond was set at $50,000, and Edes was transferred to Collingsworth County for holding.
Court records allege that on January 3, 2011, Edes intentionally or knowingly, by omission, caused serious bodily injury to Chance Mark Jones by her failure to get medical attention for the boy and that she had assumed care, custody, or control of the child at that time.
“She was helping take care of him, which puts a greater burden on her to protect the child,” Sheriff Blackburn said.
If convicted, Edes could face a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
Edes’ son remains in the Donley County Jail facing a capital murder charge in Jones’ death with a bond set at $1 million. Robert Babcock is accused of beating his son, four-year-old Chance Mark Jones, who died one year ago today, January 5, 2011, from injuries he received.
According to previous reports, Babcock had only known of his son a few months and only had custody of him for a few weeks before, according to local authorities, he began abusing the boy on December 24, 2010, and continued abusing him until January 4, 2011. On that date, Babcock called emergency personnel to his residence near Clarendon where they found Jones unresponsive.
The boy died the next morning at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo. An autopsy conducted the next day revealed that the boy died from blunt force trauma to the head and that he also suffered internal injuries from trauma to the torso. Investigators at the time called the case the worse they had ever worked.
District Attorney Inman would not comment on the charges facing Gayle Edes , saying that his office is focused right now on the charges against Babcock, whose trial is scheduled to begin January 17 in Hall County.
I would just like to set the record straight that Babcock knew Chance was his when Chance was 6 months old. Not just a couple of months!!!
The reference to when Babcock knew Jones was his son is based on comments made by investigating officers in the days immediately following Jones’ death. We will follow up on this point.