A Utah father charged with killing his infant daughter alternately vaped and wailed at police after the baby died in his drug-littered basement, court records show.
Neal English Colby, 32, of Murray, Utah, faces first-degree felony charges of reckless child abuse homicide and child endangerment in the Jan. 17 death of Celia Aurora Colby, who was one day shy of seven months old. Officers responded to the Colby residence around 10 a.m. That morning to find the baby’s mother performing CPR on the infant in an unfinished basement, according to court documents. Celia was pronounced dead while being transported to the hospital.
The child’s mother, who was separated from Colby but lived in the same house, told investigators that she, her young son, and Celia had developed flu-like symptoms overnight. After giving the infant children’s Tylenol and scheduling a pediatrician appointment for later that day, she handed Celia to Colby at approximately 2:30 a.m. So she could sleep.
She was awakened hours later by Colby shouting for her. She found Celia lying face-up on Colby’s bed with red fluid coming from her mouth, according to the probable cause affidavit. “(She) stated she immediately began performing CPR and had to call 911 at the same time because Colby would not call,” the document stated. The mother was “visibly distraught and yelling at Colby that he was responsible for [the baby’s] death” after emergency responders took Celia away, one officer noted.
Colby told police he had given the baby a bottle and put her to sleep, then went upstairs to watch an hour-long YouTube video. He claimed he later discovered the infant with gray liquid around her mouth, pressed on her chest to clear her airway, and yelled for her mother. But investigators determined Colby had actually left the home around 3:20 a.m. To visit a known drug hangout in Murray, leaving Celia alone in the basement for 43 minutes.
“I feel so f–king awful, I don’t know how it happened,” Colby allegedly told police during questioning.
Detectives described Colby’s behavior as strikingly erratic. He was “wailing and howling” when officers were looking at or speaking to him, but used a vape device when he thought they were not watching. The affidavit noted he showed “no remorse” during the encounter.
The basement where Celia was found contained “reddish-colored fluid on a dark colored blanket on the mattress downstairs, along with bottles of urine near the bed,” according to the affidavit. Investigators also discovered drugs and drug paraphernalia, including jars of THC wax stored alongside baby food. The environment was contaminated with human waste and animal waste, authorities said.
The Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office found unexplained abrasions along Celia’s nasal alae, right cheek, and around her chin. “This pattern of injury can be seen when a caregiver pinches the nose shut, causing injury to the skin,” the medical examiner wrote, adding that “her airway was manually obstructed by an adult” was a possibility. An asphyxia death could not be ruled out, though the official manner of death was certified as “could not be determined.”
A child pediatrician who reviewed the case warned that “the conditions that [she] was found in were harmful and potentially dangerous including human waste, animal waste and illicit drugs.” The medical examiner also dismissed Colby’s claim that Celia had pulled a blanket over her face, noting that a child of her developmental level typically could free herself from such a situation.
In the viral moment that preceded the charges, Celia’s family had publicly portrayed her death as a tragic accident. An obituary described her passing as a “sudden tragic accident at home” and celebrated her “bright, energized spirit” that “sparkled with such joyful love.” The tribute noted her favorite place to be was outdoors, “on Mommy’s or Daddy’s laps, in the stroller, on a blanket in the sunny shade, where the wind was tickling the leaves overhead and the birds were singing!”
Colby was booked into Salt Lake County Jail and is being held without bail pending trial.