How a car crash unearthed a twisted family secret that could land Alabama mother in prison for life
A high-speed accident on an Alabama road has exposed a family’s darkest secrets – a secret that could send a mother to prison for life.
On the quiet back roads of Fayette County, Alabama, a December morning turned tragic when a speeding pickup truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree.
The crash claimed two lives: a father who was behind the wheel and his two-year-old daughter. But it was what investigators didn’t find at the accident scene that would soon reveal the family’s twisted secret.
Steven “Brad” Collins, 40, was driving the morning of Dec. 8 when his speeding truck went out of control on Fayette County Road 73.
The impact sent Collins and his fiancée, 22-year-old Wendy “Pam” Bailey, flying from the vehicle.
Their two-year-old daughter, Ryleigh, died instantly. Investigators later learned she was not restrained at the time of the crash.
But as first responders worked the devastating scene, they soon realized they were looking at just the tip of an iceberg of horror.
Investigators would soon uncover allegations of child abuse – and a mother’s alleged complicity in it all.
A high-speed accident on an Alabama road has exposed a family’s darkest secrets – secrets that could send a mother to prison for life. The December 8 crash killed Steven Bradly Collin (left) and Ryleight Collins (right), while Wendy Pam Bailey (center) was in critical condition
It was a family member from out of state who asked the question that would open the case wide open: “Where is Kahleb?” (photo Kahleb Collins)
It was a family member from out of state who asked the question that would open the case up completely: “Where is Kahleb?”
The couple’s one-year-old son was nowhere to be seen.
As investigators would soon discover, little Kahleb had not been seen since September 4, more than three months before the crash.
Then the shocking details started to emerge.
According to court documents, Bailey made a series of chilling recordings from her hospital bed at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.
The criminal complaint obtained by AL.com states that Bailey “failed to report a missing child by delaying or delaying the report with willful and reckless disregard for the safety of the child, and the child suffered serious bodily injury or death , namely: physical injury to the child and the child was removed from the home and taken to an unknown location and no report was filed by any resident of the home.’
The young mother revealed that her fiancé had sent her photos of their son that no parent should ever receive – images that showed the child hanging from a rope in an attic, his tiny body bloodied and bruised.
“He’s not moving,” Collins texted after sending the gruesome images, followed by “I’m so sorry.”
Bailey’s father, 55-year-old John Elton Bailey, who lived with the family, has also been charged with failing to report a missing child
Bailey was arrested on December 1 and booked into the Fayette County Jail on $100,000 bail. She is charged with aggravated child abuse, domestic violence, abuse of a corpse and negligent homicide – which could land her behind bars for life.
Shortly afterwards, Collins messaged: “He’s moving.”
Bailey shockingly replied, “He just looks exhausted and tried and hurt, hopefully that’s all.”
“Wendy Bailey failed to intervene or notify law enforcement after being informed of the extreme conditions and abuse Kahleb Collins suffered,” the documents say.
But the most disturbing revelation was yet to come.
Bailey admitted to investigators that after Kahleb’s death, his small body was placed in a bag and stored in an outdoor shed “for a short period of time” before being moved to an unknown location.
The document states: ‘After Kahleb died, his body was placed in a bag and stored in an off-site storage building for a brief period before ultimately being disposed of at an unknown location.’
Photos show the little boy bruised and face up on the ground, but also “hanging from an attic with a rope with blood on his body.”
To this day, the little boy’s remains have not been found.
On the quiet back roads of Fayette County, Alabama, a December morning turned tragic when a speeding pickup truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree.
Steven “Brad” Collins, 40, was driving the morning of Dec. 8 when his speeding truck went out of control on Fayette County Road 73.
The impact sent Collins and his fiancée, 22-year-old Wendy “Pam” Bailey, flying from the vehicle. Their two-year-old daughter, Ryleigh, died instantly. Investigators later learned she was not restrained at the time of the crash
Just weeks before the crash, Collins posted a cryptic message on Facebook about his son’s health.
“Our son is not doing well,” he wrote, as reported by AL News.
‘He is not growing and has major back problems. His organs are growing, but his body is not. He will have to undergo surgery at some point. Keep him in your prayers. We have been tough and it looks like we still have a long and difficult road ahead of us.”
Bailey was arrested on December 1. She was released from UAB Hospital and booked into the Fayette County Jail on $100,000 bail.
She is charged with aggravated child abuse, domestic violence, abuse of a corpse and negligent homicide, which could land her behind bars for life.
Bailey’s father, 55-year-old John Elton Bailey, who lived with the family, has also been charged with failure to report a missing child.
District Attorney Andy Hamlin is seeking to hold Bailey without bond under Aniah’s Law. He describes the investigation as ‘particularly challenging’ due to the deaths of two young children.
“This investigation was particularly challenging because it involved the tragic deaths of two young children,” District Attorney Hamlin said.
Bailey admitted to investigators that after Kahleb’s death, his small body was placed in a bag and stored in an outdoor shed “for a short period of time” before being moved to an unknown location. Photos show the little boy hanging from an attic with a rope and blood on his body
“I want to commend the efforts and cooperation shown by all agencies involved: the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama State Troopers.”
Investigators continue their search for Kahleb’s remains.
The police are calling on anyone with information to come forward.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 15, where more details about this heartbreaking case are expected to emerge.