Two Louisiana women behind bars in connection with the death of a Natchitoches baby are now facing additional charges, according to police.
KNOE reports that Hannah Barker and Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith are both charged with criminal conspiracy in the death of Barker’s son, 6-month-old Levi Ellerbe. Jackson is also facing a felony murder charge while Barker is facing a principal to first-degree murder charge.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, on July 17, Barker reportedly called police and said she was the mother of the baby boy. She claimed two unknown men knocked on the door of her home at around 9 p.m. and when she answered, they began spraying her in the face with what she thought was mace.
In a reported panic, Barker said she ran away, leaving Levi inside the residence. She stated she thought the attackers were after her and not the baby, although she said she had never seen the men before.
The description of the two reported men was never released.
Shortly after the baby was reported missing, law enforcement agencies, including Natchitoches PD, Louisiana State Police, Northwestern State University Police Department, and the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office began searching the area for the Levi. They discovered the baby with severe burns on his body a little after 10:20 p.m. last Tuesday, close to railroad tracks near Breda Avenue, a few blocks from his home, KALB reports.
Authorities rushed Levi to a local medical center. He was later airlifted to University Health in Shreveport, where he later died. Louisiana State Fire Marshal Butch Brown spoke with KEEL on Tuesday morning and although he could not divulge a lot of information, he did confirm the suspects knew each other and that Smith “had a relationship” with the family and had access to Levi.
“This individual had a relationship with the family and certainly had access to the child. We’re still vetting through those things but it wasn’t a random act, which is important for us to put out. It certainly was an individual who knew the child and had access to the child.”
The story continues to develop. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Levi Ellerbe/Facebook]
