Who was Nevaeh Fugate? Louisiana man may face charges after granddaughter, 1, drowns in kiddie pool under his watch
KENNER, LOUISIANA: A man may face charges after his infant granddaughter lost her life under his care on Thursday night, July 20. Nevaeh Fugate was reportedly playing outside her home in Kenner along with her four-year-old sibling when a dog ran into her, causing her to fall into the kiddie pool.
The pool did not have much water but still, there was enough to kill a child. According to FOX8, a spokesman for Kenner Police Department Michael Cunningham said, “It was only 9 inches of water in that pool. It wasn’t a full pool. It is a tragic event.” The spokesperson also noted that Nevaeh died later, after she was pulled out of the water.
Who was Nevaeh Fugate?
Nevaeh was a one-year-old baby girl. Her mother, Sandra, also known as Sandy Cheekz, has three more children. The Daily Mail reported that Sandy was the sole guardian of all of them. However, at the time of the tragedy, her father was with the children.
A probe has been launched into the infant's death. A toxicology test will be conducted on the grandfather while they speak to the child's four-year-old sibling once again. The results of these steps will reportedly decide if the adult will be charged or not.
Fox 8 legal analyst Joe Raspanti said, “Probably the largest charge that they can bring in this case is negligent homicide. That carries a 0- to 5-year penalty. That would be the one that, if they’re looking to try and put in him jail, that they would charge him with.”
‘I’ve failed everyone’
A GoFundMe has been launched by the child’s mother to get financial help. The page reads, “I am a single parent with 4 children, a very tragic thing has happened to my baby girl, my 1-year-old. I need help with giving her a proper meaningful funeral and burial, anything would help, this is a very hard and tragic event for me, my kids, and our families, god bless you all, anything helps and is appreciated.”
The mother also took to Facebook to share her devastation. In one of her posts, she said, “Having to learn how to live without you is a lesson I never wanted to learn.” In another post, she shared, “I’m trying so hard to be strong for Nova, Krewe, and Amiri my heart hurts so much like I thought it hurt when I lost my momma but losing my baby, not my baby god I just can’t process this , I’m just crushed. I’m supposed to be their protector and I’ve failed her, I’ve failed everyone.”
