Unspeakable cruelty of parents who left their disabled daughter to die

by · Mail Online

The parents of a special-needs girl were found guilty of murder after leaving her to die in excrement-covered squalor at their South Carolina home.

David and Bobbie Jo Barnard, along with their 21-year-old son Edward Vincent Baynard, were convicted Thursday of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child in the death of their daughter, Heather Baynard, 15, who suffered from cerebral palsy. 

The parents were sentenced to life in prison, while the son was sentenced to 60 years.

Heather passed away at Spartanburg Medical Center on April 11, 2022, after being brought in unresponsive. The girl was in critical condition and had cold, gray, and disintegrated skin, according to 7th Circuit Solicitor Barry J. Barnette.

Heather passed away at the hospital after being brought in critical condition, with cold, gray, and disintegrated skin
David and Bobbie Jo Barnard, along with their 21-year-old son Edward Vincent Baynard, were convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child in the death of their Heather Baynard

Edward, Heather's personal care aid for 18 months, was employed by Axcess Home Care. Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler revealed that Heather's health conditions required daily medical attention, which had likely been neglected 'for many, many months.'

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According to Barnette, Heather's exposure to urine and feces at the home in Gaffney had severely damaged her skin and tissues. 

A hospital witness described her legs as resembling raw meat. She died that night, succumbing to her injuries and infections.

On April 12, 2022, deputies conducted a search of the Baynard home, where they found more than 40 animals roaming around the house. 

One of the animals was found dead, while two puppies has to be euthanized due to their declining health.

'In the home, the dogs contributed to the deplorable conditions. A lot of feces in the home, both from the cats and the dogs; urine, which created a huge ammonia-type smell,' Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller told Fox 8.

He called it one of the worst cases of neglect his office had ever seen in the county.

Deputies conducted a search of the Baynard's home, where they found more than 40 animals roaming around the house
'In the home, the dogs contributed to the deplorable conditions. A lot of feces in the home, both from the cats and the dogs; urine, which created a huge ammonia-type smell,'the local sheriff said

When the Baynards brought their daughter to the hospital that night, they displayed no emotion or urgency, WYFF News 4 reported. 

David, after leaving Heather with medical staff, sat in the waiting room, seemingly unconcerned about his daughter and looking through his phone.

According to Heather's obituary, she had been 'defying the odds since her birth, she deeply touched all who came into her path.' 

She also 'adored her Daddy and brother as well as her "people" aka anyone that took the time to talk to her,' the obituary said.