Mother not home when child died

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) - Shannon and Brian Gore are accused of keeping their 6-year-old daughter in a crib made into a cage for the better part of a year. They are also accused of killing a 7-month-old boy in 2007. That child's tragic story is now coming into focus. This has become one of the saddest and most bizarre cases of alleged child neglect in recent years.

The court document WAVY.com found is a narrative of the interview the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office investigator had with Brian Gore. Upon further examination of that document copied and found in other court papers, the narrative changed. The investigator's name was added, and another paragraph was added too. In fact, it was only after a second interview with Brian Gore that investigators went back out to the Gore's mobile home and dug up a wooden box containing human remains.

Both Brian and Shannon Gore are charged with first degree murder, but Shannon Gore's attorney made it clear she was not home when the 7-month-old born in 2007 died.

"Ms. Gore was not present when that child died, and these court documents substantiate that," said Ron Smith.

In the court documents, the Gloucester Sheriff's Office investigator wrote, "Mr. Gore stated that when the child was approximately seven months old and in his care, he began to have breathing difficulties. Mr. Gore did not summon medical attention, thus resulting in the child's death."

Shannon Gore's Attorney Ron Smith responded to that. "These documents support a mother [Shannon Gore] who came home and found her 7-month-old baby dead. She had no one to go to because of the lies she was leading because there was no child," said Smith.

That 7-month-old died before the 6-year-old was discovered in the crib. The Gores had those two children and then had another one born in March of this year.

One of the big questions, why did Shannon Gore hide the fact she was pregnant twice?

"It's something that doesn't make much sense really...she wasn't married. She didn't want her parents and family to know she was pregnant," Smith said.

We've showed you inside the mobile home where the Gore's 6-year-old was kept in her own feces, fed Pop-Tarts twice a day. Smith said something happened to Shannon Gore after the death of her son.

"I want to emphasize this," Ron Smith said. "I am not trying to excuse any kind of behavior. Something happened to my client, mentally and emotionally after the loss of this child."

The Gores remain in the Norfolk City Jail without bond. Shannon Gore's defense team has hired a psychiatrist to examine her to determine what effect, if any, the death of the 7-month-old had on her that triggered everything else.

We called the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office to check on how the Gore's little girl is doing. The office reports that she is currently in stable condition. The 2-month-old is now in foster care and had no signs of neglect.