Couple Charged With Child Abuse In Fatal Crash

A woman from Fayetteville and her live-in boyfriend have been accused of flipping a vehicle in July, resulting in one of her children dying and another suffering serious personal injuries.

On September 9, 32-year-old John Richard Croom and 26-year-old Sarah Eddington, were each charged with two counts of felony child abuse inflicting serious injury, according to a news release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

According to investigators, the couple placed both children in the back of a Suzuki Samurai on a makeshift bench, without restraints on July 12. They drove the vehicle about two miles into a wooded area off Slocomb Road, where they intended to four-wheel along an embankment. Croom, who was driving, lost control of the vehicle and it flipped backward multiple times, causing all of the occupants to be ejected.

The 4-year-old girl was pronounced dead due to head injuries at the scene of the crash. Her 7-year-old sister sustained multiple injuries and received transport to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. She has since recovered and is in the care of family members.