A 4-month-old girl has died after suffering life-threatening injuries that led to the arrest of a 32-year-old Nashville man.
Nevaeh Petty was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital after officers responded to a home on 24th Avenue North just before 5 p.m. Sept. 19 for a report of an unresponsive child. She later died at the hospital.
Bobby Randall Conner Jr. was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with aggravated child abuse. MNPD said Conner is the boyfriend of the infant’s mother.
Conner told patrol officers that he was lying in bed with the child while her mother was at work. He said he got up to use the restroom and noticed the infant was unresponsive when he returned.
Youth Services detectives were informed earlier this week by doctors at Vanderbilt that testing showed the child had suffered serious internal head injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging that was indicative of abuse.
Conner was arrested at a motel on Spence Lane. A judicial commissioner set his bond at $500,000.
MNPD said Youth Services detectives will discuss upgraded charges with the District Attorney’s Office following the infant’s death.
Conner was convicted of child neglect last month stemming from a March 2025 arrest and received a one-year sentence. He was also convicted of child abuse in August 2020 and received a four-year sentence.
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