A Georgia woman has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree murder and child cruelty in connection with the death of her infant son, who suffered severe burns from a hair dryer. The incident took place on November 9, 2023, when the Coweta Sheriff’s Office responded to a distress call about a baby in cardiac arrest at a home on Kildare Court in Newnan, a town roughly 40 miles southeast of Atlanta.
Upon arrival, a deputy encountered 31-year-old Morgan Creel at the back door of the residence. Creel led the deputy to the back bedroom where her son, Carsynn Creel, was found unresponsive, his onesie partially pulled down. As the deputy attempted to administer CPR to the infant, he observed severe burns and discoloration on the right side of the child’s body.
Creel reportedly informed the deputy that she had been attempting to warm her son’s feet with a hair dryer but had fallen asleep. Upon waking, she found her son unresponsive and immediately dialed 911. An indictment obtained by a local Atlanta Fox affiliate, WAGA, alleged that Creel caused her son “cruel and excessive physical and mental pain by leaving a blow dryer on and blowing heated air near said child while said accused was passed out under the influence of a controlled substance.”
During the investigation, authorities reportedly discovered a device used for smoking marijuana on the back porch of the home. Nearly a year after her son’s death, in October, Creel was arrested for driving under the influence while out on bond. She was reportedly weaving in and out of traffic lanes, and when stopped by the police, she attributed her erratic driving to sneezing.
Due to her high level of intoxication, officers had to stop sobriety tests for her safety before taking her into custody. Creel was booked into the Coweta County Jail on January 24. As of Thursday morning, she was not listed as an inmate at the jail, and it remains unclear whether she has legal representation.