A mother who knowingly allowed a convicted child abuser to live in her home before her baby’s alleged murder has blamed social services for permitting him to be around the child.
Jessica Petty spoke out after her four-month-old daughter, Neveah, died at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.
Doctors told detectives that the infant had suffered fatal head trauma and retinal hemorrhaging consistent with abuse and shaking.
Petty’s partner, Bobby Randall Conner, whom she knew had been convicted of child abuse in 2020, has now been charged with Neveah’s murder.
But Petty suggested social workers were to blame for the baby’s killing in an interview with NewsChannel5.
Petty told the outlet: “I didn’t do anything to my daughter. I was okayed by DCS [Department of Children’s Services] to leave her with him.”
“If anything, DCS should be the one answering why they would allow him to be around my kid.”
Conner, who was also convicted of child neglect in August, allegedly said he left Neveah on a bed while he used the bathroom. When he returned, he claimed, she was unresponsive.
Doctors told detectives that four-month-old Neveah suffered severe internal head injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging, before her death in Nashville on Wednesday
Neveah’s mother, Jessica Petty, has blamed the Department of Children’s Services for the death of her baby
Asked whether she understood the risk of leaving her daughter in her boyfriend’s care, Petty responded: “No comment.”
Neveah’s biological father, Eddie Wagner, told the outlet: “It is my first daughter, and to put my first daughter through all this, I am hurt.”
Wagner said he had urged Petty not to leave their daughter with Conner, but she ignored his warnings.
He added: “I wanted [Jessica] to realize that this was not okay. She’s stubborn and she don’t really listen to other people.”
Wagner contacted the DCS, which sent officials to the home and found the child unharmed.
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Although Petty’s claim that DCS approved leaving Neveah with Conner has drawn outrage, state law does appear to support that aspect of her account.
DCS officials would only have been authorized to remove Neveah from a home where Conner lived if he had previously been convicted of sexual abuse.
According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Conner was arrested at a motel on Wednesday.
Conner initially faced a charge of aggravated abuse, but prosecutors upgraded the case to murder. He remains jailed on a $500,000 bond and has not entered a plea.
Bobby Randall Conner, Petty’s partner, has been charged with murder and has not entered a plea. He was convicted of child neglect last month and child abuse in 2020
Neveah’s biological father, Eddie Wagner, pictured with his daughter while she was in the hospital
A GoFundMe has since been launched to help cover funeral costs for the little girl, with excess funds going to support Wagner.
A post to the fundraiser said: ‘Precious baby girl Nevaeh Faith Wagner entered into the presence of the Lord on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 after being unalived by her mother’s boyfriend, who was a repeat child abuse offender.
‘Please help us raise the funds needed to give Nevaeh a proper burial, as well as an honorable memorial service.
‘Any additional funds received will go directly to assist the father to recoup funds during his time of bereavement.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the DCS said they were unable to comment on specific cases due to state and federal laws.
A statement added: ‘In general, DCS responds to allegations of child abuse or neglect.
‘A person’s criminal history, by itself, does not necessarily provide DCS with grounds to open an investigation or prohibit a parent from allowing that individual to have contact with their child.
‘Parents generally retain the authority to make decisions about who is around their children, subject to any applicable court orders or other legal restrictions.’