Two charged with felony child endangerment in Gautier

GAUTIER, MS –On Saturday, January 27, 2024, at approximately 1:50 p.m., the Gautier Police responded to a residence for an unresponsive 11- month-old child.

The child was found unresponsive in a bathtub. Acadian Ambulance Service transported the child to Ocean Springs Hospital, where it was later pronounced deceased. The child was in the care of foster parents.

Both foster parents, Tonya Winter and Deborrah Winter, were charged with Felony Child Endangerment and transferred to the Adult Detention Center. Child protective services removed all other foster children from their home.

On Monday, January 29, 2024 their bonds were set by Gautier Municipal Court Judge St. Pe at $20,000 each, plus other conditions. The incident is still under investigation and updates will be released when available.

If anyone has information about this incident, please contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 228-497-2486 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898.