SILER CITY — The Siler City Police Department last week announced the arrest of two Siler City residents in the December death of 3-year-old Evan Preston Marrero.
The child’s mother, Tricia Ann Bissett, 33, and her live-in boyfriend, 38-year-old Judson Sier Dunnavant, both of 1217 Red Sunset Place, have been charged with first-degree murder and intentional child abuse, causing serious bodily injury.
The investigation began with a 9-1-1 call early on the morning of December 10 involving a child who was “unresponsive,” according to Lt. Jason Boyd of the Siler City Police Department. The child, who was known to have developmental issues, was dead when units arrived.
Bissett and Dunnavant had only been living in Chatham County for a “few months,” according to Boyd. After seeing bruising on the child, the chief investigator, Detective Jon Murray opened a case for possible homicide.
Boyd said Bissett was involved in case with the Wake County Dept. of Social Services that did not involve Dunnavant, who spent a brief time as a law enforcement officer in another state. Dunnavant was released from that job for “conduct reasons” though the specifics are not known, according to Boyd.
Though the details of the Wake County Social Services case aren’t public, Boyd did note that the case in Wake County contained “different type of incident” than occurred in Siler City. Neither of the suspects have a record for drug abuse or other violence, according to Boyd.
Boyd noted that Murray said the Chatham County Dept. of Social Services, which removed a second child from the home following the death of Evan, was “great to work with and did a fantastic job” adding that “it was tough.” Murray also worked closely with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. Bureau of Investigation throughout the process.
Even so, the case took its toll.
“He was the detective on this case,” Boyd said. “And while it can’t be personal, it takes a personal toll. Because a 3-year-old can’t speak for himself.”
After collaborating to build evidence, the case was taken to a grand jury.
“We wanted to cross all our T’s and dot all our I’s so, yes, we went to a grand jury,” Boyd said. “This was a major, major crime.”
After a true bill of indictment was secured, the two were arrested by Siler City Police and transported to the Chatham County Detention Center, where they are being held with no bond.
“The detective in all this, give him a lot of credit,” Boyd said of Murray. “He’s had a lot of sleepless nights. He’s ready to move to the next level [of the case]. And the people who worked with him, I commend them all. These things, these types of crimes, they’re hard.”
The Siler City Police Department has asked that if anyone has information regarding this case to contact Murray at 919-742-5626.
Casey Mann can be reached at CaseyMann@Chathamnr.com.