The mother of 1-year-old Kahleb Collins was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the abuse of the Fayette County toddler, whose disappearance and death shocked Alabama.
Wendy Pamela Jean Bailey, 24, of Winfield, pleaded guilty in Fayette County Circuit Court to first-degree domestic violence and aggravated child abuse of a child younger than 6, according to the 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
A judge sentenced Bailey to life in prison on each count, with the sentences to run consecutively. Prosecutors said life imprisonment is the maximum sentence allowed for each offense.
The investigation began after a December 2024 crash involving Bailey, Kahleb’s father, Steven Collins, and the couple’s daughter Ryleigh Collins. Collins later died from injuries he suffered in the crash.
The following day, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office learned 15-month-old Kahleb had been unaccounted for for several months. Investigators later uncovered messages, pH๏τographs and other evidence documenting what prosecutors described as severe abuse committed by Collins.
Based on the evidence and the timeline established during the investigation, authorities believe Kahleb died sometime between September and December 2024. His body has never been recovered but remains found at the family home are believed to be his remains.
Investigators examined multiple electronic devices, searched the family’s property numerous times and collected debris from burn piles. The evidence was analyzed with ᴀssistance from digital forensic investigators, federal forensic specialists and forensic anthropologists.
“This was a deeply upsetting case for our community,” District Attorney Andy Hamlin said in a statement. “People were horrified by what happened to Kahleb, and many have followed this case closely from the beginning.”
Hamlin said investigators determined Collins carried out “unthinkable acts” against the toddler that prosecutors believe ultimately led to his death.
Bailey and her father, John Bailey, who was the child’s guardian, were indicted on aggravated child abuse charges in the case. They both originally entered not guilty pleas. Collins died before he could face prosecution. Wendy Bailey was also charged with criminal negligence. That charge was dismissed on July 10.
“Wendy Bailey was aware of the abuse and did nothing to stop it or report it,” Hamlin said.
“Our responsibility is to follow the evidence and prosecute the offenses we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” Hamlin said. “No sentence can undo what was done to this child. What we can do is hold this defendant accountable for her role and seek the strongest punishment allowed by law.”
The district attorney credited the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensics Lab, the FBI, the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Berry Fire Department, the Berry Police Department, and forensic specialists from Troy University and UAB, along with other first responders, for their work on the investigation.