Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022
Man charged in death of toddler appears in court
By Sandy Rose Schwieterman
CELINA - Brandon Edwards, 29, Celina, who is charged in the methamphetamine intoxication death of a Montezuma toddler two years ago, made his initial appearance Tuesday via video in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Jeffrey Ingraham read the eight charges against Edwards. They include a first-degree felony charge of involuntary manslaughter, a third-degree felony charge of involuntary manslaughter, a fifth-degree felony charge of aggravated possession of drugs, a second-degree felony charge of endangering children, a third-degree felony charge of endangering children, two first-degree misdemeanor charges of endangering children and a first-degree misdemeanor charge of domestic violence.
Ingraham asked Edwards if he understood the charges as read to him, to which Edwards replied, "yes."
No arraignment date has been set for Edwards who does not yet have an attorney. His bond was set for $500,000, and he is being held in the Mercer County jail.
A Mercer County grand jury on Thursday indicted Edwards on the eight charges. He was arrested Friday by Mercer County sheriff's deputies after a two-year investigation into the death of 2-year-old Ezra G. Siegrist, according to a news release from Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey.
On Feb. 11, 2020, Mercer County dispatch received a call of a young child laying facedown and unresponsive in a home at 61 S. High St., Montezuma, according to the release. A family member first administered CPR and then deputies until EMS arrived. Siegrist was transported to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater where he later died, according to the release.
An autopsy conducted by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office determined Siegrist died of methamphetamine intoxication, and the death was ruled a homicide by Mercer County Coroner Dr. Timothy Heinrichs, according to the release.
Edwards reportedly was living at the residence at the time of the toddler's death and he was in a relationship with the child's mother. Mercer County detectives started an investigation into the death to determine how Siegrist ingested the methamphetamine, according to the release.
Detectives interviewed several people, some of whom were uncooperative, which slowed the investigation, Grey said.
