Published: June 09, 2009 11:27 am         

Persons charged in death of 20-month-old are arraigned

Monticello — Five of the six people charged in connection with the death of a

20-month-old Wayne County boy were in Wayne District Court on Monday for

arraignment proceedings.

Bryan Daniels, 19, made his first court appearance since being arrested

and charged with murder in connection with the death of his 20-month-old

son, Kayden Daniels. Daniels was also charged with manufacturing

methamphetamine.

Tim Hendrix, with the Public Defender's Office, was appointed to

represent Daniels. He waived formal arraignment and entered a plea of not

guilty. District Judge Robyn Williams set the preliminary hearing in the

case for Monday, June 15 at 11 a.m.

Hendrix requested a reduction in Daniels' bond, which is set at $250,000

cash. Williams left the bond at the same amount and said the issue could be

brought up at next week's hearing.

The toddler's mother, a 14-year-old whose name has not been released

because of her age, reportedly appeared in court in Clinton County last

week. The proceeding garnered quite a bit of media attention, and the judge

issued a gag order in regard to the mother's case, since she is a juvenile.

She has also been charged with murder and manufacturing methamphetamine

and is being held at an area juvenile detention facility.

Kayden Daniels was pronounced dead at 11:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 at

the Wayne County Hospital, after officials say he ingested a drain cleaner

that is used to make meth. This case has garnered a lot of media attention,

and has put a spotlight on the methamphetamine problem that has continued to

increase in this area. Lexington television stations and the Herald-Leader

had stories last week regarding the boy's death, as other details about the

investigation have emerged.

Larry West, a Deputy Coroner for Wayne County, told the Herald-Leader

that the toddler drank the drain cleaner at about 11 p.m. on Saturday, May

30. West indicated that the mother did not see the child drink the liquid

but she heard him gagging and knew something was wrong.

The article noted that the boy was wearing shorts and no shirt, and the

chemical caused burns around his mouth and on his chest and stomach. The

parents took the toddler to his grandfather's house, which was nearby, to

call for help.

The grandfather, Larry Branham told a reporter that he knew that it was

bad and there wasn't time to call for help. Instead, they put the boy in a

car and drove him to the hospital, where he died less than an hour later. He

was pronounced dead by a doctor in the Emergency Room, according to Kentucky

State Police who are heading up the investigation.

The investigation into the boy's death led to search warrants that were

executed at two separate residences on Boston Hill Road, as well as four

other arrests. The four others, who were charged with manufacturing

methamphetamine in connection with the case, included: Danny Anderson II,

26, James Hunt, 24, Alisha Dicken, 21, and Wesley Bell, 24. Hendrix was

appointed to represent all four of the defendants in the case.

He waived formal arraignment for all four defendants and entered pleas

of not guilty. In each case, Hendrix asked that bond be reduced, but

Williams stated that the bonds would remain the same. Anderson, Hunt, Dicken

and Bell are all being held on a $50,000 cash only bond.

Funeral services for Kayden Daniels were held on Thursday, June 4 in the

chapel of the Hoyt G. Hickey and Son Funeral Home. Burial was in the Jones

Cemetery. Obituary information is included in this week's edition of The

Outlook.

     

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