LYNN – An Essex County Grand Jury returned an indictment for Wanton or Reckless Endangerment of a Child against Laci Kirk, a/k/a Laci Brand, yesterday afternoon. The indictment is the result of a lengthy and continuing investigation conducted by the Essex District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police and the Lynn Police Department.
The indictment alleges that on September 26, 2015, Laci Kirk was living with her infant son, Charles Brand III, then just shy of four months old, at Independence House, a shelter in the city of Lynn. Ms. Kirk spent the majority of the day with a friend at the shelter, talking, listening to music and drinking. During this time, her infant was left largely unattended in a cluttered portable crib filled with multiple blankets, an adult bathrobe and a stuffed animal. In the early evening hours, Kirk went to check on the child and found him unresponsive with a small amount of blood coming from his nose. Responding officers noted that Kirk’s speech was slurred; she was unsteady on her feet and smelled of alcohol.
Charles Brand III was taken to North Shore Medical Center and subsequently to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
While an autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded the infant died of natural causes, Laci Kirk engaged in a pattern of wanton and reckless conduct, leaving her child unattended for several hours at a time throughout his short life, prompting staff at the shelter to file a report with the Department of Children and Families. A case was open with the Department of Children and Families, and services were being put in place at the time of the child’s death.
Laci Brand is currently at large with her whereabouts unknown.
