The man accused in Nevaeh Petty’s death had previous child abuse and neglect convictions before the 4-month-old suffered fatal injuries.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The death of a 4-month-old Nashville girl is bringing new scrutiny to earlier child-welfare concerns after police accused her mother’s boyfriend, a man with prior child abuse and neglect convictions, of causing the injuries that led to her death.
Bobby Randall Conner Jr., 32, was first charged with aggravated child abuse while Nevaeh Petty remained hospitalized in critical condition. Metro Nashville police said doctors reported that the infant had serious internal head injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging, indicative of abuse. After Nevaeh died, police said detectives would consult with prosecutors about upgrading the charge. NewsChannel 5 subsequently reported that Conner had been charged with murder. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The investigation began after officers responded shortly before 5 p.m. Sept. 19 to a home on 24th Avenue North for a report of an unresponsive infant. Police said Conner told officers he had been lying in bed with the baby while her mother was working. He said he left to use the restroom and found the child unresponsive when he returned. The infant was rushed to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and placed on life support.
Police said medical testing later showed injuries that doctors considered indicative of abuse. Youth Services detectives arrested Conner on Sept. 23 at a Spence Lane motel, and a judicial commissioner set his bond at $500,000. Nevaeh later died after several days on life support, turning an investigation that began with a critically injured infant into a death investigation and prompting detectives to seek a review of the charges.
The case has drawn additional attention because Conner’s criminal history was known before Nevaeh was injured. Metro Nashville police said Conner had been convicted of child neglect in connection with a March 2025 arrest and received a one-year sentence. Police also said he was convicted of child abuse in August 2020 and received a four-year sentence.
Nevaeh’s father, Edward Wagner, said he knew about those convictions and objected to Conner being around his daughter. Wagner said he warned the child’s mother and also contacted the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services about his concerns. His account has become a central question in the aftermath of the infant’s death: what authorities knew about the situation and what legal options were available before Nevaeh was injured.
Nevaeh’s mother, Jessica Petty, also told NewsChannel 5 that she knew about Conner’s past. She said she believed DCS had allowed Conner to be around her daughter. Petty said she left the infant with Conner because she had to work and did not have someone else available to watch the child. She was not charged with a crime at the time of the report.
NewsChannel 5 reported that DCS had conducted a welfare check and found Nevaeh unharmed. The outlet also reported that, under Tennessee law, the agency could not remove an otherwise healthy child from a home solely because a person there had prior convictions for child abuse. DCS has said it cannot discuss the specifics of an individual case. In a statement reported by another Nashville station, the agency said criminal history alone does not give it authority to investigate and that parents decide who may have contact with their children.
Those distinctions are now receiving attention because Wagner says his warnings were specifically tied to Conner’s previous treatment of children. The existence of earlier convictions is documented by police, but the precise handling of Wagner’s contacts with DCS and the agency’s decision-making in Nevaeh’s case have not been fully detailed publicly. Accounts from Wagner and Petty describe their interactions with the department, while confidentiality rules limit what the agency can publicly say about an individual child-welfare case.
The criminal investigation, meanwhile, remains separate from questions about the child-welfare response. Prosecutors will have to address the evidence against Conner through the court process, where he is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless convicted. Police have said the medical findings were indicative of abuse, while Conner’s initial account to officers was that he returned from the restroom and found the infant unresponsive.
Nevaeh’s death has left her family seeking answers on both tracks: what caused her fatal injuries and whether earlier intervention could have changed what happened. Conner remains the accused defendant in the criminal case, while the circumstances surrounding the family’s prior contacts with child-welfare authorities continue to draw scrutiny.
Author note: Last updated September 27, 2026.