How Could You? Hall of Shame-Cassie Cheryl Ann Owens case-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Travelers West, South Carolina, kinship [?] guardianship parents, Nancy Dianne West, 42, and Bradley Kyle Craig, 46, were arrested on June 5, 2026 and denied bond in the”homicide by child abuse, following the death of a 4-year-old child “, Cassie Cheryl Ann Owens.

“On April 24, 2026, Greenville County deputies responded to … Road in Travelers Rest after receiving a 911 call regarding an unresponsive child.

The child was experiencing cardiac arrest and transported to the hospital, where she later died. This was a month shy of what would have been her 5th birthday.

During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that West and Craig, who were taking care of the child, allegedly deprived the child of proper nutrition.

West and Craig were arrested on Thursday by members of the GCSO Fugitive Apprehension Specialized Investigations Team at their home in Travelers Rest. The pair was denied bond and remains in the Greenville County Detention Center.

South Carolina Department of Social Services later said that, “The individuals in question in the death of the four-year-old in Greenville County have never been licensed foster parents in the State of South Carolina through the Department of Social Services.” This statement directly contradicts what the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office previously stated, claiming that West and Craig were the legal foster parents of the child.

WYFF News 4 spoke off the record with a victim’s advocate for the state, who explained the difference between the two classifications.

Licensed foster parents provide temporary care for a child within South Carolina Department of Social Services custody. The intention is to reunite the biological family, and involves court and case manager oversight, state-funded childcare assistance, stipends and healthcare.

Appointed legal guardians assume full legal and physical custody of the child, transferring rights and privileges of a parent to the guardian. This is designed to provide long-term stability when reunification or adoption are ruled out.

Relatives or “fictive kin” are able to become guardians through the agency’s Kinship Care Program without becoming licensed. Licenses would be required to receive support from the state. Under this program, the victim’s advocate said court and case worker oversight is broader and, in some cases, limited.

The victim’s advocate said it is protocol with homicide by child abuse cases to be lengthy as investigators need to collect all records to rule out birth defects, pre-existing conditions, chronic disease or other potential causes before issuing an official charge.

Investigators are required to prove at least one of two theories: proactive abuse of a child or a failure to act.

According to the Greenville County Public Index, Craig has been charged with assault and battery on two occasions. One involved unlawfully placing a child at risk of, causing harm to or willfully abandoning the child. He has 12 other charges related to traffic.

West has one traffic charge in her record related to speeding.

Homicide by child abuse charges can carry a sentencing of between 20 years to life in prison if convicted.

Details remain limited because of case sensitivity. Members of the sheriff’s office, coroner’s office and several Upstate child advocacy groups opted out of speaking on camera.

West and Craig’s cases are in the hands of the Solicitor’s office, who will decide whether to grant bond or keep them behind bars in circuit court, and a next court date, which is expected in the next 30 days.”

Bond denied for man, woman charged in death of 4-year-old in Travelers Rest
[WYFF4 6/5/26 by Caitlin Ashbaugh]

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