Man Charged with Kiln Toddler’s Death

An arrest has been made in the death of a Hancock County toddler who died Sunday due to head trauma. Police believe the man who did it is the mother’s boyfriend. News 25’s Kristen Durand talks to the family of the man charged in the toddler’s death.
Carmen Connetti is grieving after the tragic death of Maddox Vieregge. The pain is twofold for Connetti as she grieves the sixteen-month-old toddler she considered her own grandchild while her son, 25-year-old Charles Connetti the Third, is charged with capital murder in the toddler’s death. “There’s no way my son did that to that little baby. I know it, I know it,” said Connetti.
As the son she calls ‘Woo Woo’ sits behind bars, Connetti is trying to pick up the pieces. One room left in chaos after authorities searched the site where the toddler is believed that have sustained his deadly injuries, a nearby room filled with toys and photos of the many children Carmen has cared for. “Every chance I get, I have my grandchildren here because that is what brings the life and the joy in this house. And he, Maddox wasn’t any different,” said Connetti.
First responders were called to Carmen’s home on Kiln Acres Drive Thursday and found the child suffering from severe head trauma. Maddox was later flown to a New Orleans hospital where he died on Sunday. Sheriff’s investigators tell News 25 baby Maddox was in the care of Connetti at the time the injuries were sustained. Commander of Criminal Investigations Glenn Grannan said, “It was not accidental that we can tell and there is no other explanation for his injuries other than the fact that this is a result of abuse.”
Those who know Charles Connetti say while baby Maddox wasn’t his biological child, he cared for the toddler as his own. Connetti’s sister-in-law Lisa Pierce said, “I’ve watched him with kids and just thought to myself ‘God, he’s such a good dad.’ If you have nothing to hide and you’re not lying, the truth will come forward and that’s what I know is going to happen because he did not hurt that baby.”