On March 23, 2022, 2-year-old Coltyn Lee Gridley was accidentally shot in the face and head with a loaded 9mm handgun at his maternal grandparents' home in Talbott, Tennessee. His mother, Destinie Getchey, and her paramour, Christopher Smith, had left the gun within reach of the children while showering together, and the children were left in the care of a maternal uncle who was playing video games. Coltyn's 4-year-old brother retrieved the gun and the child was shot in the eye. He was hospitalized in Knoxville, kept on life support as an organ donor, and pronounced deceased on March 28, 2022. The autopsy ruled the manner of death an accident (cause: gunshot wound to the head). The mother and Smith were both indicted; Getchey was charged with aggravated child neglect and reckless homicide, and Smith with aggravated child neglect. The two surviving siblings were placed with their father in North Carolina.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
The fatality report states the child suffered a gunshot wound; "the cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head." The autopsy reported the manner of death as accident, and the child accessed a 9mm handgun left within reach. The news articles confirm Coltyn was "suffering from a gunshot wound."
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The fatality report substantiated "Severe Lack of Supervision" against the mother and paramour, noting they were "leaving a loaded gun within reach of the child which resulted in the child accidentally shooting himself." The mother asked her brother to watch the children while she showered.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report states the mother was charged with "1 count of Aggravated Child Neglect and 1 count of Reckless Homicide" and that there is a preponderance of evidence supporting Abuse Death and severe Lack of Supervision against the mother. She left a loaded gun accessible while showering.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The mother's paramour Christopher Kyle Ray Smith was "charged with 1 count of Aggravated Child Neglect" and substantiated for Abuse Death and severe Lack of Supervision per the fatality report; he allegedly left the gun lying on the bed while showering with the mother.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
The fatality report states the mother "asked her brother, Mr. [uncle] to watch the children while they showered," and the uncle was instead "in his bedroom playing video games." The 4yo reported the gun came out of "Uncle's room" and a firearm was also found in the uncle's room, implicating the maternal uncle in the supervision lapse.
Was a sibling involved in the death?
The 4-year-old sibling obtained the gun and shot the victim. The fatality report states "it appears the brother, [name] may have shot [victim]" and during the FI the 4yo "got the gun and came into the living room with it and shot himself in the eye."
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Both the mother (Destinie Getchey) and paramour (Christopher Smith) were arrested and indicted. The news articles report Getchey "charged with one count of aggravated child neglect and one count of reckless homicide" and Smith "charged with one count of aggravated child neglect."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report references domestic violence: the permanency plan included "non-offender domestic violence counseling," and "Mr. [father] denied domestic violence allegations made against him by Ms. [mother]."
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report required the mother to "complete a mental health assessment" and notes a referral to NC due to "concerns of mental health for the father due to social media posts."
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states the father "is a felon with charges of Larceny over 5 years ago as well as some misdemeanor driving offenses all out of N.C." and had charges out of county "such as VOP, Child Support, Drug Possession, etc." These predate and are separate from the current incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report notes the mother "tested positive for THC, Meth, and Amp" and admitted THC use the morning of the incident; the father "tested positive for THC and admitted to smoking a joint." Drug Exposed Child allegations were substantiated against the mother.
Notable Details
The fatality report describes systemic/jurisdictional issues: the surviving siblings moved to North Carolina with their father, and DCS made multiple referrals to NC DSS that were repeatedly "screened out due to TN having an open case," leaving DCS "not able to conduct monthly face to face contacts with the children." The father was "never legitimated" creating ICPC placement complications, and the report notes the mother was found at the father's NC home (violating the supervised-contact court order) when arrested, and the father posted on social media that the mother is innocent. The child was also an organ donor kept on life support until March 29, 2022.
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.