New search warrants in Garner toddler’s killing allege mom knew of abuse
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Search warrants allege a Garner mother knew her boyfriend abused her children before her son’s death.
- The boyfriend is charged with first-degree murder.
- Investigators cited Facebook messages and texts in search warrants.
The mother of a Garner toddler who was beaten to death this summer allegedly was aware her boyfriend physically abused her children, according to search warrants released Thursday.
Lance Nolan Pearce, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 6 death of 2-year-old Jensen Scott Jackson. The toddler was fatally injured three days prior while Pearce was watching him and his two siblings, The News & Observer previously reported.
The children’s mother, Kayla Blue, reportedly left the children in Pearce’s care while she went to work that afternoon, according to court documents. Less than two hours later, Pearce texted her to say that he’d “whooped” Jensen and that he was “hurting again today because of him and only him,” The N&O reported in August.
The toddler had suffered a seizure, which Blue told investigators he’d experienced before, according to search warrants. But she called 911 while on the way back to their home when Pearce reported Jensen’s breathing was getting worse. An emergency room examination found Jensen had sustained brain swelling, a brain bleed and bruises all over his body, court documents show.
Warrants reviewed by The N&O in August indicated Pearce may have messaged his friends admitting to beating the child and worrying he’d go to prison. The newly released warrants suggest Blue knew the abuse was part of an ongoing pattern.
A friend of Pearce’s, whom The N&O is not identifying because she is not charged with a crime, informed detectives Pearce “told her multiple times in the past several months that he could not handle the kids and had been hitting them,” according to a search warrant. The children’s grandparents were not allowed to visit them because of visible bruising, the warrant states.
That same friend messaged Blue on Facebook on May 28 to express her concerns, according to the warrant. In one message, the friend wrote: “He’s told me the same things he’s told you. He’s worried about what he’s capable of, he’s triggered by the boys doesn’t [sic] want to hurt them and doesn’t know what to do.”
The friend offered Blue her number and said she was worried about Blue’s sons’ safety, the warrant states. Blue reportedly responded that Pearce was no longer watching the children.
That conversation couldn’t be found in the Facebook messages reviewed by police when they searched Blue’s phone, according to the warrant.
As recently as a week prior to Jensen’s death, Blue allegedly talked to Pearce about “leaving bruises on the kids,” another search warrant states. It’s not clear if she ever reported prior allegations of abuse to police.
Blue has not been charged with a crime related to her son’s death as of Thursday afternoon. Pearce remained in the Johnston County jail without bail.
