Parents charged in connection with death of 2-month-old daughter, police say

By Kristy Kepley-Steward

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    BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A Buncombe County couple has been arrested and charged with the death of their two-month-old daughter.

Authorities say on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, deputies with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office responded to the couple’s home on Four Wheel Drive in the western part of Buncombe County.

No details have been given in reference to what authorities found or why they were dispatched to the home.

We do know an autopsy for two-month-old Riley Leshae Hannah Stephenson will be performed in the next few days.

Authorities say multiple units at the Sheriff’s Office, including the Major Case Unit, Crime Scene Unit and the Special Investigations Unit were involved throughout the day with the ongoing investigation.

Nickolas Shane Stephenson, 35, is charged with second-degree murder and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. Arrest warrants say Stephenson is accused of assaulting the child, inflicting “multiple burns and broken bones.”

Diandra Haleigh Fuhr-Farlow, 28, is charged with felonious child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. Her arrest warrant accuses her of “intentionally and neglectfully” leaving the child in a “serious injured state that lead to her death.”

Stephenson was given a $500,000 bond, Fuhr-Farlow received a $150,000 bond. Both are being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility.

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