Crown Point couple charged with neglect after boy shoots self

  • Print

A Crown Point couple has been charged with neglect after a young boy they were babysitting found a gun in a bedroom and fatally shot himself.

The Post-Tribune reports 24-year-old Rachel Lynn Griffin and 29-year-old Brett A. Beatty were charged Tuesday in Lake Superior Court with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent.

Eric Cole, 4, Wheatfield, died Aug. 5 after he found a handgun in a case under a bed in a bedroom at the couple’s home.

An affidavit says Griffin told the boy and his sister to stay in the bedroom while she used the bathroom, then heard a bang and found the boy bleeding.

Beatty, who wasn’t home, told investigators he thought the gun wasn’t loaded.

Please enable JavaScript to view this content.

{{ articles_remaining }}
Free {{ article_text }} Remaining
{{ articles_remaining }}
Free {{ article_text }} Remaining Article limit resets on
{{ count_down }}