Nancy West and Bradley Craig were denied bond after being charged with homicide by child abuse.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — The death of 4-year-old Cassie Cheryl Ann Owens has moved from a sheriff’s investigation to a prosecution after two adults who cared for her were jailed on homicide by child abuse charges.
Nancy Dianne West, 42, and Bradley Kyle Craig, 46, were denied bond following their arrests in Greenville County. Deputies said Cassie was found unresponsive April 24 at a Travelers Rest home and was in cardiac arrest before she was taken to a hospital, where she later died. The sheriff’s office said the defendants were the child’s legal guardians and had deprived her of proper nutrition.
The next decisions belong largely to the solicitor’s office. Prosecutors must decide how to present the case in circuit court, what evidence to disclose at hearings and whether the current charges remain the final charges. Homicide by child abuse cases can depend on medical proof and timing. The state must connect a child’s death to abuse, neglect or a failure to act by the people charged. In Cassie’s case, officials have not publicly released an autopsy report, a full cause of death narrative, or affidavits explaining the alleged conduct of West and Craig separately.
Deputies were called to the Chinquapin Road address after a 911 report of an unresponsive child. Local reporting identified the address as 1318 Chinquapin Road in Travelers Rest, north of Greenville. Cassie was transported from the home to an area hospital. The sheriff’s office later said she had been experiencing cardiac arrest. The public record does not say who made the 911 call, how long Cassie had been unresponsive, who was present when first responders arrived, or what emergency workers observed inside the home.
The arrests came weeks later, not immediately after the hospital death. That gap suggests investigators were gathering records before filing charges. Local coverage quoted a victim advocate who said child abuse homicide investigations can be lengthy because authorities must rule out other causes, including chronic disease or preexisting medical issues. In this case, investigators eventually accused West and Craig of depriving Cassie of proper nutrition. The sheriff’s office has not released measurements, photographs, doctor statements or a medical examiner’s summary to the public.
At bond proceedings, West and Craig were ordered held in the Greenville County Detention Center. Bond denial is a major early step because it keeps defendants in custody while the case is pending. It is not a finding of guilt. The public reports do not identify defense attorneys or include statements from either defendant. Craig’s past also drew attention after local reporting noted assault and battery charges in the Greenville County Public Index. The reports did not say those prior cases were tied to Cassie’s death or to the Chinquapin Road home.
Cassie’s identity emerged through local news and public memorial pages. Her obituary listed her birth date as May 23, 2021, and her death date as April 24, 2026. It named her parents, siblings, grandparents, an aunt and cousins. It also said she had family members who died before her. A fundraiser created shortly after her death described the family’s effort to cover cremation expenses. Those public details provide a family frame around a case that otherwise has been described mostly through legal terms: guardian, defendant, homicide and cardiac arrest.
One procedural issue surfaced when the South Carolina Department of Social Services corrected the public description of West and Craig’s role. The agency said, “The individuals in question in the death of the four-year-old in Greenville County have never been licensed foster parents in the State of South Carolina through the Department of Social Services.” Deputies had described them as legal guardians. The distinction may affect what documents prosecutors seek and what oversight records exist. It does not change the charges, but it may shape questions about how Cassie came to be in the home and who had authority over her care.
The Chinquapin Road home had drawn law enforcement attention before. Deputies investigated an alleged assault there on March 28, 2025. Craig reportedly admitted hitting a child twice in the back of the head with his hand. Authorities have not said whether the child was Cassie. That earlier report could become important if prosecutors believe it shows notice, prior violence or conditions in the home. It also could remain separate if investigators cannot connect it to Cassie or to the alleged deprivation of nutrition. No public filing has resolved that question.
The public evidence remains thin because the case is still in its early court stage. Prosecutors may rely on hospital records, emergency response logs, interviews, guardianship documents, prior police reports and testimony from medical experts. Defense lawyers may focus on alternative medical explanations, the state’s timeline, access to food, responsibility inside the household, and the separate roles of each defendant. The court will also have to manage records involving a child, which can limit what becomes public before trial.
The broader Greenville County community has received the case through brief official statements and local reporting rather than extended public briefings. Sheriff’s officials announced the arrests and the charge. DSS addressed the foster care question. The coroner’s office and other child advocacy groups did not provide detailed on-camera explanations in local coverage. That has left the case with a narrow but grave factual core: a young child died after an emergency call, and the adults responsible for her care are accused of causing that death through abuse or neglect.
The court process is expected to bring the next confirmed developments. Future hearings could address bond again in circuit court, set deadlines, identify attorneys, or reveal more about the medical evidence behind the charge.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.