Local Woman Arrested On Charges Of Child Neglect

BAY COUNTY, FL – Bay County Sheriff, Tommy Ford, announced the arrest of a local woman after it was discovered her twin infant sons were suffering from malnutrition.

In the early morning hours of September 30, 2025, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Blueberry Road in reference to a medical emergency.  Upon their arrival, the responding deputies made contact with Hailey Nicole Smith, age 21, of Panama City, in the front yard.  Hailey was holding her one month old son who was unresponsive.  The responding deputies provided the infant with medical care until the arrival of Bay County Fire Rescue.  Bay County Fire Rescue took over medical care and transported the infant to a local hospital for further medical treatment.

The BCSO Criminal Investigations Division investigated this incident.  Throughout the course of the investigation, it was learned that the infant had a twin brother, and both were severely malnourished.  The children were admitted to a local hospital before being transported to a hospital in Gainesville for more intensive care.  The children have since been released from the hospital and are recovering at the home of a family member. The children have been removed from the care and custody of Smith. 

While the children were being treated and released from the hospital, Criminal Investigators consulted with attending physicians, medical staff, and reviewed medical records from the children’s hospital stay.  On October 15, 2025, Criminal Investigators arrested Hailey Nicole Smith.  Smith was booked into the Bay County Jail on charges of Aggravated Child Neglect and Child Neglect.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Gainesville Child Advocacy Center, for their assistance with this investigation.