Parents in Gatlinburg hot car toddler death charged with felony murder

GATLINBURG — The parents of a 2-year-old boy who died after being left in a vehicle overnight were arrested Monday on felony murder charges, according to a news release from Fourth District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn.

A grand jury returned presentments against 24-year-old Jade Elizabeth Phillips and 26-year-old Anthony Dyllan Phillips, charging them with first-degree murder committed in perpetration of aggravated child neglect, first-degree murder committed in perpetration of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect and aggravated child abuse, according to the release.

The Phillips were arrested in Westmoreland, Tenn. Each is being held in the Sumner County jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond. Their court dates have not yet been set.

Gatlinburg police found the Phillips' son, Kipp, dead around 2 p.m. on July 14, after one of the parents called E-911 and reported they had left him in a vehicle overnight and into the afternoon as the temperature outside approached 90 degrees. 

Authorities released little information about the case the following week, choosing to withhold the names of the child and the parents, the address where the child was found, and whether anyone had been taken into custody.

The USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee first reported that the home where the child was found, 416 Laurel Ave., is owned by Jerry Kirkman, the mayor of Westmoreland, a small Middle Tennessee town with a population of about 2,200 people. Kirkman did not return a call on Monday evening.

Jade Phillips, the mayor's daughter, had been living in the house with her husband and their toddler son, said next-door neighbor Freeda Hall, who was out of town Friday when police arrived.

Jade Kirkman married Anthony Dyllan Phillips in March 2015, according to a wedding announcement published in the Gallatin News-Examiner.

Hall said the couple "seemed like good parents," and that they both worked at the Apple Barn in Sevierville on opposite shifts so they could take care of their son. A manager at the restaurant declined to comment Thursday.

Hall said the couple was friendly and offered to cut her yard and bring her food.

“They seemed like good people, but I guess you never know,” Hall said.

In a since-deleted Facebook post from July 14, a pastor at the Lakeside Church in Westmoreland wrote that Jerry Kirkman's 2-year-old grandson had passed away. 

"There are no details to pass along," the post said. "They covet our prayers at this time more than anything. May the God of great grace and comfort surround their family." 

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Last week Gatlinburg Police Chief Randall Brackins said of the parents, "They were distraught, very upset. They were very unbelieving of what was occurring. They just couldn't believe it was happening." 

The Phillips are charged under a section of the first-degree murder statute known as felony murder. Under that law, the state must only show the child was killed as a result of the felony crimes of abuse and neglect, not that they planned to kill the child.

There is no difference in penalty. A person convicted of first-degree murder is subject to the death penalty, life without parole or life with a mandatory 51-year prison term.

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee reporter Megan Boehnke contributed to this story.