Dad admits killing newborn son, burying baby's body at campsite (Moorefield, West Virginia)

Dad is identified as JOSEPH ALLEN CHRISTY.

http://www.times-news.com/local/x611404577/Infant-s-body-found-after-child-s-father-leads-police-to-campsite

July 7, 2014

Infant’s body found after child’s father leads police to campsite

Missouri man admits killing newborn in Hardy County

From Staff Reports Cumberland Times-News

— MOOREFIELD, W. Va. — A Missouri man admitted to police he had killed his infant son and then led investigators a short time later to a Hardy County campsite where he had buried the baby.

West Virginia State Police at Romney said the body of Ashter James Christy, 26 days old, was secured by Hardy County Medical Examiner Jeff Fraley and then taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston for a full autopsy.

The infant’s body was found after the child’s father, Joseph Allen Christy, 32, of Marysville, Mo., led state police and a Morgantown Police detective to the shallow grave in an unspecified Hardy County campsite where Christy had buried his son. The gruesome discovery was made at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Preliminary investigation has led police to believe the “focus will be towards child neglect resulting in the death and possible murder of Ashter James Christy,” read a news release from state police at Romney.

It was about 5 p.m., Saturday when State Police Sgt. M.D. Anderson and Trooper First Class C.S. Hartman of the Moorefield-Petersburg detachment were contacted by state police at Morgantown concerning a possible child death. The information was developed after the parents — identified as Joseph Allen Christy and Summer Lynn Snow McDaniel, 26, also of Marysville — were arrested after attempting to flee from law enforcement in the Morgantown area of Monongahela County, according to state police.

The suspects had four children, ages 11, 7, 4 and 2, in their vehicle, resulting in the arrest of Christy and McDaniel on felony child neglect charges.

During the investigation, there arose the allegation that the father, Christy, had killed an infant child.

In an interview by police, Christy reportedly confessed that he had killed the couple’s infant son at the campsite in Hardy County where the victim’s body was found Saturday.

It was early evening when Christy led Trooper Hartman, Sgt. Anderson, Sgt. J.P. Branham III, Cpl. R.M. Gaskins and Morgantown Police Detective Larry Hasley to the location where he had buried his infant son.

No further details from the investigation were available Sunday evening.

Requests for further information about the investigation were being referred to Lt. M.T. Baylous, state police public relations officer.