A 4-month-old Nashville girl, Nevaeh Petty, has died after suffering severe head injuries while in the care of her mother’s boyfriend, 32-year-old Bobby Randall Conner Jr. Conner, who had two prior convictions involving child abuse and child neglect, was initially charged with aggravated child abuse and now faces a murder charge following Nevaeh’s death.
What Happened on September 19
According to a Davidson County affidavit obtained by FOX 17 News, officers responded to a home near 24th Avenue and Santi Avenue in Nashville on Saturday, September 19, after receiving a report that the infant was unresponsive.
Nevaeh’s mother, Jessica Petty, told investigators she left for work around 12:30 p.m., leaving Conner responsible for the baby’s care. She said she called Conner around 3:30 p.m. to check in and was told the child was fine. About an hour later, she said, Conner called to tell her Nevaeh was unresponsive.
Conner told officers he had been lying in bed with the child before briefly getting up to use the bathroom, and that when he returned and pulled back a blanket, he found her unresponsive. One resident of the home told investigators the baby had cried for much of the day until roughly two hours before the incident, and said Conner later came to her holding the child, saying the baby wasn’t breathing.
Police obtained a search warrant for the home and recovered two blankets with what the affidavit describes as apparent bloody discharge.
What Doctors Found
Nevaeh was taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in critical condition. According to the affidavit, a lead physician on her care team told investigators she had bleeding around both sides of her brain, brain swelling, and severe bleeding in her eyes. The physician said these injuries are commonly associated with a child’s head being rapidly accelerated and decelerated, and that they were consistent with abuse rather than an accidental fall or injury.
Based on the injuries and witness statements, investigators wrote that they had probable cause to believe Conner caused severe bodily injury to the child. He was arrested September 23 and initially charged with aggravated child abuse, held on a $500,000 bond.
Nevaeh was declared brain-dead and remained on life support until she was removed from it Thursday morning, September 24. Following her death, the charge against Conner was upgraded to murder.
Conner’s Prior Convictions
Conner’s criminal history has become a central part of the case. According to FOX 17 News, he was previously convicted in a 2018 aggravated child abuse case; he originally faced a minimum of 15 years in prison, but a plea deal with the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office reduced the charge to child abuse, and he was ultimately sentenced to four years.
A grand jury also indicted Conner on attempted aggravated rape of a child stemming from a 2023 offense. That charge was reduced to child neglect through a plea deal, resulting in a shorter sentence than the original charge would have carried.
What the Family Says They Knew
Nevaeh’s father, Eddie Wagner, told FOX 17 News he had concerns about Conner being around his daughter and had previously raised those concerns with authorities, saying he did not believe Conner was a safe person to be around the infant. A family friend and another woman who lives in the home where the incident occurred separately told FOX 17 News they had also warned Nevaeh’s mother about Conner’s history.
Jessica Petty has acknowledged knowing about Conner’s past. She said she needed to work and didn’t have another caregiver available, and said the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services had permitted Conner to remain around Nevaeh.
Open Questions
What child welfare authorities knew about Conner’s history, and the specifics of how the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services came to permit his continued presence around Nevaeh, remain part of the ongoing investigation. Those questions are separate from the criminal case against Conner and have not been publicly resolved.
Where the Case Stands
Conner remains in custody and now faces a murder charge in connection with Nevaeh’s death. If convicted, he could face life in prison. The case remains under investigation, and as with any pending charge, he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
