Brandon Edwards
CELINA, Ohio (ADAMS) – A Celina man has been indicted by a Mercer County grand jury on charges related to the death of an infant more than two years ago.
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey on Friday, Feb. 18, announced the conclusion of the investigation into the death of 2-year-old Ezra Siegrist at 61 S. High Street, Montezuma.
Grey reported that on February 11, 2020, at 5:30 AM, Mercer County 9-1-1 received a call that a young child was lying face down and unresponsive. The child was administered CPR by a family member, then deputies until EMS arrived. EMS transported the child to Mercer Health, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Sheriff Grey released the following with the announcement of the indictment:
The child was then transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy at the direction of Mercer County Coroner Dr. Timothy Heinrichs. The determination of the autopsy was that Ezra died of methamphetamine intoxication, Dr. Heinrichs ruled the death a homicide.
Mercer County detectives began an investigation into the death to determine how Ezra ingested the methamphetamine. Detectives interviewed several people, some who were cooperative, some who were not. This slowed the investigation process.
At the conclusion of the investigation, detectives presented the complete investigation to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office for review. Mercer County Prosecutor Matt Fox then presented the case to the grand jury on February 17, 2022.
The Grand Jury returned an indictment of Brandon A. Edwards, age 29, of Celina, for the following:
Count 1 – Involuntary Manslaughter, a felony of the first degree
Count 2 – Involuntary Manslaughter, a felony of the third degree
Count 3 – Aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree
Count 4 – Endangering Children, a felony of the second degree
Count 5 – Endangering Children, a felony of the third degree
Count 6 – Endangering Children, a misdemeanor of the first degree
Count 7 – Endangering Children, a misdemeanor of the first degree
Count 8 – Domestic Violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree
Mr. Edwards was living at the residence at the time and was in a relationship with Ezra’s mother.
Mr. Edwards was arrested on February 18, 2022 by Mercer County Sheriff’s deputies and is being held in the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility awaiting a court appearance.
The Sheriff’s Office will have no further comment on this case and would refer any questions to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public for their patience as detectives pursued this investigation.
