GoFundMe Nets Nearly $9K After Tuscaloosa Toddler Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A GoFundMe drive has raised $8,775 to help cover funeral expenses for a 18-month-old Raylean Richardson, who died early Friday morning at DCH Regional Medical Center under suspicious circumstances.

As Patch previously reported, one man — who is not the parent of the deceased Tuscaloosa toddler — was charged with capital murder Friday evening in connection to the child's death.

Joseph Earl Jenkins, 28, was denied bond and remains in the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

The GoFundMe drive was launched by Raylean's aunt, Takiya Richardson, has already received more than 350 individual donations at the time of this story's publication.

On the page, Richardson said Raylean's mother is grateful for the outpouring of support, but also devastated by the loss.

Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the multi-agency Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, told local media Friday evening that the child's mother and her live-in boyfriend, 28-year-old Joseph Earl Jenkins, were brought in for questioning. The toddler's body was immediately transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for an autopsy.

"The preliminary autopsy reports showed extensive injuries to the child," he said Friday. "The investigation continued all day, involving search warrants on the residence, interviews, and medical records and consults."

Click here to donate to the GoFundMe for Raylean Richardson

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