Less than 48 hours after her eight month old toddler was laid to rest on Wednesday, Casey Crain, 23, of Salem has now been arrested and charged in the infant’s death.
A detective from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg arrested Crain, after Judge Larry Medlock issued a warrant based on charges of Neglect of a Dependent, an A Felony.
She was taken into custody at noon today (Friday) from her home at 602 ½ Ridgeview Drive in Salem and incarcerated at the Washington County Detention Center in Salem.
Earlier this week on Monday, September 9th, detectives from the Indiana State Police and Salem City Police Officers arrested Jamie Lykins, 24, from 602 ½ Ridgeview Drive in Salem.
Lykins had been the live-in boyfriend of Crane and was charged in the beating of Leelan and charged with two Class A Felonies – Battery Resulting in Death and Neglect of a Minor.
Crain was not originally charged in the death of her son, but has been implicated partly due to the facts in the case that some time passed (approximately 45 minutes) while her boyfriend was in the bedroom allegedly abusing the toddler.
To counteract the statements made in the affidavit as well as extreme criticism on social media sites like Facebook, Crane appeared on WLKY 32 saying that she had in fact checked on Leelan several times during that 45 minute period.
“I went in there so so many times to check on him and every time I went in there, [Jamie]was just holding him and rocking him like he normally would. Every time I was around him, he was nice and sweet and caring towards him,” Crain told WLKY. “But obviously I was wrong.”
“Arrests and charges were strategically made,” said Washington County Prosecutor Dustin Houchin. “They are all calculated to ensure justice.”
The investigation is continuing with the help of the ISP and Salem Police Department.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Casey was interviewed over the weekend and told police Lykins, put the toddler, Leelan, down for a nap about 5 p.m. Saturday.
Crain advised that as soon as Lykins went into the bedroom, he turned a country music radio station on to a high volume.
Crain advised she heard Leelan crying continuously for approximately 45 minutes, followed by silence.
According to the affidavit, Crain told police she then assumed Leelan was asleep.
Crain advised later that she went in to check on Leelan and discovered that he was severely bruised, not breathing properly and was semiconscious.
Friends who were coming over to the house to go fishing with the couple, Lexi Livingston and Gregory Lee, saw the condition of the toddler and encouraged them to get Leelan to the hospital.
Livingston told police Lykins didn’t want to do that because he was afraid the police and child services would be called.
State Police also spoke to Dawn Walker, who was going to be babysitting Leelan that night. Walker told police that when she entered the home, Lykins looked at her and said, “We have a problem. I beat the fuck out of baby LeeLee.”
He was arrested Monday after detectives from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg were able to gather enough evidence from interviews, Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigators and the autopsy completed on Leelan Crain, which indicated he had various areas of bruising on his body. The cause of death was ruled to be a result of blunt force trauma to the head.
Lykins was arrested without incident at a convenience store on State Road #56 in Salem Monday afternoon and incarcerated in the Washington County Detention Center in Salem.
He was charged with Neglect of a Dependent, an A Felony and Battery Causing Death, also an A Felony.
Livingston and Lee transported Crain, Lykins and Leelan to St. Vincent Hospital Saturday evening, where medical staff alerted the Salem Police Department regarding the toddler’s condition.
According to hospital personnel, the injuries were not consistent with the story that the toddler had fallen off of the bed and were consistent with physical abuse.
Once at the hospital in Salem, Leelan was transported to the Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, KY by air ambulance. He was pronounced dead at approximately 1:41am, September 8th.
An autopsy was performed Sunday morning, September 8th, on Leelan Crain at the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville, KY. The autopsy preliminarily determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head. The official and final determination of the cause of death to Leelan Crain will not be made until the autopsy results are complete which typically takes up to six weeks. This investigation is continuing.
