On April 24, 2026, 69-year-old Linda Charlene Stevens was arrested and charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide following the death of seven-month-old Gabrielle Alonzo in Putnam County, Tennessee. According to the arrest warrant, the incident occurred on April 15, 2026, when Stevens allegedly secured the infant in a car seat in the back of her vehicle with the intention of dropping him off at daycare.

Instead, she drove directly to her workplace at the public library in Monterey, where she left the child locked inside the vehicle for approximately eight hours while she worked.

The tragedy was discovered around 4:00 pm after a family member called Stevens to inquire about the child’s whereabouts, at which point the infant was found deceased in the car.

The investigation, conducted by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with the Monterey Police Department, led to the determination that Stevens’ conduct violated Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-212.

Following her arrest, Stevens was booked into the Putnam County Jail and is currently being held on a $50,000 bond.