NELSON CO., Va. – Two Nelson County parents have been charged after an investigation into the death of an infant in December of 2024, according to the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.
On Dec. 10 of 2024, Nelson County Deputies and Emergency Medical Services responded to a residence on Taylors Creek Road in Afton for an unresponsive six-week-old child. Emergency personnel performed CPR for several minutes, and the child was transported to UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville for further treatment.
On Dec. 14, the child was pronounced deceased at UVA Medical Center, and an autopsy was completed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond and was finalized in March.
Officials say on May 16, 2025, UVA medical experts reviewed the UVA medical records as well as the report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and as a result, it was determined that the injuries present on the child were consistent with child abuse.
On May 20, investigators with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office obtained arrest warrants for the biological parents of the deceased child. The parents have been identified as Ethan Garfield and Autumn Woods.
They have both been taken into custody and have been charged with the following:
- Felony Child Abuse/Neglect
- Felony Homicide
Garfield and Woods have both been held without bond and transported to the Albemarle-Charlottesville regional jail.