GASTON COUNTY, NC (WBTV & AP) - More serious charges have now been filed against a couple in Gaston County in the death of a toddler earlier this year.
Thirty-two-year-old Shanna Dawn Lanham and 33-year-old Jason Michael Wells of Bessemer City have been charged with second-degree murder.
The couple originally had been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Lanham's 2-year-old daughter, Addison.
Lanham received an additional $2 million bond once the new charges were added on Thursday and she is being held at the Gaston County jail.
Wells, however, is not being detained in Gaston County. He has been temporarily transferred to another jail, but deputies were unable to tell us where. They only said this usually happens if the inmate is facing charges and serving a sentence in another county.
Lanham and Wells are both scheduled to appear in court for the new charges on Tuesday, September 27.
Addision died from a sepsis infection July 21. Investigators say the girl also had a broken leg that had been untreated for more than a week.
Gaston County Police Capt. J.W. Human says investigators are awaiting a report from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Lanham told authorities she left Addison with Wells while she was at work. They were staying at the America's Best Inn in Bessemer City.
Wells said the girl was unresponsive and he called Lanham to come back to the motel to check on her daughter. When Lanham arrived, she called Gaston County 911.
The girl was taken to Gaston Memorial Hospital where she died that evening.
Lanham and Wells were both charged with involuntary manslaughter, felony child abuse, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Wells was also charged with failing to notify the sheriff's department with a change of address because he is a registered sex offender, and for babysitting a minor while being a sex offender.
On Wednesday, August 28, the North Carolina Department of Corrections said Lanham's probation officer, Whit Ogg, resigned from his position.
NCDOC spokesman Keith Acree confirmed that a member of Lanham's family repeatedly reached out to Ogg via Facebook urging him to investigate the welfare of the child.
Acree, however, could not confirm other media reports which alleged that Ogg took no action to look into the matter.
Ogg was hired in October 2009 to work for the DOC in Gaston County.
Copyright 2011 WBTV. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
 | Explore WBTV.com
 All content © Copyright 2000 - 2011 WorldNow and WBTV, a Raycom Media Station. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. |
