Canonsburg Couple Arrested Following Death Of Baby

August 21, 2022 3:36 am

Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh tells WJPA News that the parents of an infant girl who died last week under suspicious circumstances have been arrested. Walsh says 31-year-old James May IV and 23-year-old Shannon McKnight, both of Canonsburg, had to be physically removed from a home at 409 Wayne Street in Canton Township Friday morning after they were found hiding there. Police have been looking for May and McKnight for more than a week after the death of their three-month-old daughter, Navaeah. Authorities say Navaeah died at a local hospital August 11th, after the parents called 911 to report that she was unresponsive. Her sixteen-month-old brother was later found to have cocaine and fentanyl in his urine, following a wellness check at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Walsh says that the two disappeared after their daughter’s death and did not attend her funeral on Thursday. May and McKnight were arraigned on multiple charges, including child endangerment and are lodged in the Washington County Jail without bond. Walsh says manslaughter charges may be filed at a later date, in connection with their daughter’s death. A preliminary hearing has been set for August 30th.