Parents Of 17-Month Old Middlesboro Child Indicted For Her Death (additional details)

From the Middlesboro Police Department -

On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the Middlesboro Police Department, along with Middlesboro Fire/EMS, was dispatched to a Middlesboro residence in reference to an unresponsive 17-month-old child.

Upon first responders’ arrival, life-saving measures were administered, and the child was transported to the Middlesboro ARH Hospital. The child was later pronounced deceased by the Bell County Coroner's Office. The child’s body was subsequently transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort, KY, for further examination.

The Middlesboro Police Department conducted an extensive investigation, gathered evidence, and consulted with the State Medical Examiner’s Office, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Bell County Attorney’s Office, and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Child Protection Branch).

As a result of the investigation, the Middlesboro Police Department presented the facts of the case to a Bell County Grand Jury, which subsequently returned indictments on the child’s parents.

Christopher Leach of the Lexington Herald-Leader spoke to Bell County Commonwealth Attorney Mike Taylor who stated in an interview: "around midnight on the day of the incident, Gage was 'extraordinarily intoxicated' and fell asleep on the couch with the baby against the back of the couch. It appeared the baby was smothered while Gage slept", Taylor said.

Gage woke up at one point and smoked a cigarette before going back to sleep, according to Taylor. The baby is believed to have already been dead at this point, but Gage didn’t realize what happened until she woke up around 7 a.m. on July 30. Spencer was in the same room as Gage and the baby during the entirety of the incident, which was captured on video, Taylor said.

“This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” Taylor said. “The grand jury listened to it, I’ve listened to it multiple times. On the video, which also has audio, you can hear that child’s last breath.”

The full autopsy report is pending, and an official cause and manner of the baby’s death has not been determined.

Loren Gage of Middlesboro was indicted for murder, and Dakota Spencer, also of Middlesboro, was indicted for manslaughter in the 1st degree. Both were served with the indictment warrants on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, and lodged in the Bell County Detention Center.They are being held currently without bond.

Officer Johnathan Kinder of the Middlesboro Police Department is in charge of the investigation.