Rowan Bracci -- Deceased 1/8/11

SC teen mom charged in death of her baby

15 Month Old Rowan Bracci dies at the hands of his mom, 19 year old Amber

Posted: Jan 14, 2011 9:13 AM EST
Updated: Jan 14, 2011 12:05 PM EST

RIDGEVILLE, SC (WCSC) - The mother of a 15-month-old child was charged with homicide by child abuse Wednesday.

Amber Lynn Bracci, 19, of Ridgeville was arrested and charged Wednesday in the death of her child, 15-month-old Rowan Bracci.

The Dorchester County Sheriff's department has been investigating the death of Rowan Bracci since last weekend. The Sheriff's Office held a press conference in Summerville Thursday to announce the charges.

Earlier this week, before Amber Bracci was arrested on homicide by child abuse charges, she came to a Charleston TV station to tell her story.

"I went in there and picked my son up out of bed at 10:30 in the morning and he was limp," Bracci said while on WCSC-TV in Charleston. "His eyes were closed and he was not responsive."Bracci then called EMS and two days later, her son Rowan died at MUSC. Read the full story and see pictures.

http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13843532

Rowan Bracci
What a sweet little angel



Amber Lynn Bracci

Please don't tell me this is her recent mugshot from the sheriff's department....

I hope not!

Under picture in the article it says:
: Amber Lynn Bracci (Source: Dorchester County Sheriff's Office)

This baby had massive internal head injuries. There's no mention of a boyfriend and she was arrested for homicide by child abuse. LE must be pretty certain she caused them herself and no one else had access to him.

Piper wrote:Under picture in the article it says:
: Amber Lynn Bracci (Source: Dorchester County Sheriff's Office)

That's NUTS!!!!!

She looks like she is posing for a high school picture versus a mug shot for the Sheriff's Office!

The article said the autopsy also showed previous abuse.

How could a mother abuse her 15 month old baby? This just makes me sick!

Link to video of her arrest:

http://www.wbtv.com/global/category.asp?c=195957&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5467026&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Thanks for posting the link to the video, Piper.

She looks like she is surprised/shocked!

She was wearing a black shirt when arrested, so the first picture was not her mug shot. I thought the sheriff's office may have gotten that picture from her facebook account.

That's her driver's license picture. Everyone is so quick to think that she looked that way after Rowan's death. Local media have the actual mugshot with the orange jumpsuit. This is a tragedy and this young lady has emotional and mental issues. We need to remember that as well. Many of us are bitter, but we're trying to understand how this could happen.

Thanks jakedsnake, for the above info, and welcome to RC. Are you local to that area? You seem to know Amber or at least you know about her mental issues. Thank you for telling us about those. Of course, it doesn't excuse her actions, if she did this horrible deed, but there are more people to blame, for allowing her to have control over this baby with no help.

I hope you continue to post here and give us the true facts about this case, not just what the news media puts out there.

Hi jakedsnake, thank you for the information. After seeing the video and sitemama's comment about the shirt, I found the mugshot. Amber appears extremely distraught, she doesn't even look like the same person. It is terribly, terribly tragic. My heart goes out to the loved ones of little Rowan and the pain they are experiencing.

Here is the article:

Affidavit: Mom tells police she hit child days before death

Posted: Jan 11, 2011 4:49 PM EST
Updated: Jan 14, 2011 4:07 PM EST






RIDGEVILLE, SC (WCSC) - Deputies say a mother who has been charged with homicide by child abuse hit her child a couple of days before finding the 16-month-old unresponsive.

Amber Lynn Bracci, 19, of Ridgeville was arrested and charged Thursday in the death of her child, 16-month-old Rowan Bracci. If she is found guilty she will face 20 years to life in prison.

According to a court affidavit, Amber Bracci admitted to smoking pot two times after she realized Rowan was unresponsive and before she called for help. Bracci was denied bond at a hearing Friday morning.

Read more:
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13825315

That photo of Amber isn't the mugshot lol. That's her DMV photo. Also, The news has left out a lot of information!! The boyfriend left the state and he's wanted for questioning. Also, when she went to check on the baby the first time he was twitching a little and she thought he was dreaming and then she left the room... did her thing... then went back and checked on him and that's when she noticed something was seriously wrong and called EMS. There's a lot more to the story that the news left out. The story just keeps becoming bigger and more interesting. You can go on ABC news and see her bond hearing and a few other videos

Also... like jakedsnake said she does have a lot of emotional issues from what I gathered. The babies actual father is in prison and she moved from Florida to live with her dad when she had the baby. She also worked alot, so keep in mind that while she's working at night and during the day there are other people home with the baby.. *ahem* boyfriend...

Thank you for the information, fb2004. I wondered about a boyfriend, because that is so often the case. So, he's left the state...........

Oh, and ! Please post any other articles or information you have.

yeah, according to someone I am aquainted with who knows her said that he all of a sudden had a "funeral" to attend to and left. He's wanted for questioning and last I heard they will have in back here for questioning by early next week. I don't know Amber, but I know a few people who do and they all say she's not that kind of person and she moved in with her dad when she got pregnant. I don't know the whole story but I do know that the news is leaving out a lot of very important issues. I do know that she didn't smoke pot twice after noticing something was wrong. Like i said in an earlier post she checked on the baby he was twitching and thought he was dreaming then went out the room... did her thing... and then went back to check on him and wake him up and that's when she realized something was wrong and called EMS. You can watch the bond hearing.. she refuses to sign the affidavit and she got public defender.

http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13841673

Thank you! Here's a very important fact they left out from the beginning:

"The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office says someone else was home at the time of the alleged abuse and plan to keep the investigation open."

The original reports were made to sound like Amber, and Amber only, was responsible.

Teen mother denied bond in toddler death

Updated: Jan 20, 2011 6:42 PM EST

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) -- Police are charging a 19-year old Ridgeville mother in connection with the death of her 16-month old child.

Rowan James Bracci passed away at MUSC Saturday, two days after he was transferred from North Trident Hospital with injuries to his head.

An autopsy conducted by the Dorchester County Coroners office shows the toddler died from blunt force trauma to the head.

"You have the shaken baby syndrome and that causes injury - but this is a direct blunt hit to the head," Dorchester County Sheriff L.C Knight said.

Thursday, sheriff's investigators met with Amber Lynn Bracci.

During their interview Knight decided "at that point in time we felt our case, we felt it was time to make an arrest."

Read more: http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13841673

Link to video of bond hearing - I couldn't get it to embed.

http://abcnews4.com/global/category.asp?c=189729&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5469836&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Yeah that's what Amber's friend told me. She said that the boyfriend was very abusive and treated Amber and Rowan badly so Amber finally broke it off with him not even a week before all of this happened. As soon as all this happened her first thought was Amber's boyfriend. Everyone that knows Amber said she was a very good mother to Rowan and she struggled and did everything she could for him. I hope she didn't do it. to be honest, based on what I've gathered and seen, she just doesn't look guilty to me. I'm just waiting for more evidence before I point the blame on anyone.

I hope she didn't do it, either. I wonder if they've caught up with him yet.

I'm not sure. I know they were supposed to meet with him early this week. So we'll keep watching. If she isn't the one who did it, then I feel terribly bad for her. Her friend told me last night the main reason she tried to break it off with him was because of how he treated rowan. So, theres some motive right there. My friend said she grew up with the boyfried and he's had some serious anger issues.

I wish that this beautiful baby had been given away at birth. How very sad!

http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13926173

She was indicted by the grand jury yesterday

Also, the boyfriend of Amber was indicted on Friday (yesterday) for the same charge. The post and courier also said the other arrests might be forthcoming. I'm shocked by all of this because up until now I didn't realize that i knew the boyfriend...

Thank you for the updates, poor little Rowan.

I'll check for the articles now. I suppose it is very shocking if you know him.

2 indicted in toddler's death
16-month-old's mother, her boyfriend charged with homicide by child abuse in Dorchester County

By David MacDougall , Andy Paras
macdougd@postandcourier.com aparas@postandcourier.com
Saturday, January 29, 2011

RIDGEVILLE -- The boyfriend of a woman charged in the death of her 16-month-old son now is accused of the same crime.

A Dorchester County grand jury on Thursday issued a direct indictment charging John D. Weaver II, 20, of Summerville with homicide by child abuse in Rowan Bracci's death. The same charge already had been filed against the child's mother, 19-year-old Amber Lynn Bracci.

Weaver of Jennies Ridge Lane was identified in incident reports as Bracci's boyfriend.

He was not yet in custody as of Friday, officials said. An investigator said Weaver's lawyer was to assist him in surrendering to authorities.

Bracci has been in the Dorchester County Detention Center since she was arrested earlier this month and charged with homicide by child abuse by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office.

The grand jury also indicted her Thursday.

According to the indictments, on or about Jan. 6, both Weaver and Bracci caused the death of her son "while committing child abuse or neglect, and the death occurred under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to human life."


Read more:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jan/29/2-indicted-in-boys-death/

Friends say Weaver is falsely accused

Updated: Feb 04, 2011 6:37 PM EST

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) -- Friends and family members of a man accused of homicide by child abuse say he is being falsely accused.

John Weaver, 20, is charged in the January death of 16-month-old Rowan Bracci. Weaver, along with the child's mother, Amber Lynn Bracci were both in bond court this week.

Weaver was granted bond on Friday. Bracci was not.

Court documents say Bracci and Weaver were together, at Bracci's home, the night her son suffered the injuries that later killed him. Autopsy reports say the child died of a head injury at the hands of another person. He's said to have had bleeding on his brain.

Read more: http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13973682

John Weaver, 20

Weaver's bond was set at $50,000 on Friday, and Bracci no bond..........hmmm. She did admit to hitting Rowan in an earlier article.

Alright people.
Here are some real facts for you..

Amber did not admit to hitting her son Rowan. The police officers/detecives made an affidavit describing what they thought happened. Trying to coax her into a confession. She did not sign it. But they initialed it for her..

She told the detectives that she did smoke pot that morning. But she never said that it was after she found Rowan in his condition. This is the media twisting things again.

John Weaver was abusive to her, and is a drug addict. Ecstacy, Acid, Marijuana.. etc.

Amber Bracci loves Rowan with all of her heart. He is her world. The media is making her out to be such a horrible person. But the media does not know her personally.

Also the day prior Amber was at work. John was watching her son. When she came home that night Rowan was fine. She put him to bed, and went to sleep that night. John was in the middle of the two rooms sleeping on the couch. When Amber woke up, she found Rowan unresponsive. What did John do? He had his mother come and pick him up.

Now let me ask you something... If you have no idea what happened to the baby, why rush to get out of the house so fast? Wouldn't you be concerned about your girlfriends child? Later on he met up with Amber at the hospital.

These are just a few things to think about before people start pointing their fingers at Amber. You people don't know her, and you don't know the love she has for Rowan.

John Weaver, justice will be served.

Amber is mourning the loss of her son, while John Weaver is walking the streets.

Just imagine how you would feel in her shoes...

I have hoped that someone would speak out for Amber. I found the boyfriend going out of town when it all went down a little odd.

In my opinion, and it's just an opinion, I don't believe that anyone other than John and Amber know what truly happened. Hopefully LE figures all the he said she said out and little Rowan gets the justice he deserves.

That's all I want as well, the truth to come out and justice served for this innocent, precious little boy.

Jury returns not guilty verdicts in Bracci trial
Posted: Mar 20, 2015 7:02 AM PST  Updated: Mar 20, 2015 1:01 PM PST

After two-and-a-half hours of deliberations, a Dorchester County jury found a Ridgeville woman not guilty on two counts relating to the death of her 16-month-old son.

...Closing arguments wrapped up Thursday after Bracci herself took the stand.

She testified she thought her son was experiencing a bad dream when she heard him moaning in his crib. She said she first called her stepmother because she remembered a relative who had experienced a seizure and thought Rowan might be having one. Bracci said she held the boy until her stepmother arrived.

It was her stepmother, she said, who called 911. Bracci said doctors at MUSC told her Rowan had suffered a head injury.

...

No trial date set for Weaver

Weaver is also charged with homicide by child abuse and aiding and abetting child abuse in Rowan's death.

...He and Bracci are being tried separately, but his trial date has not yet been set.

Read more:  http://www.live5news.com/story/28571273/jury-deliberations-begin-in-bracci-trial

Leaving topic in Awaiting Trial for Weaver's case.