ATHENS, Ohio — The parents of a 3-month-old girl who died in February in Athens County have been indicted on child endangerment charges, while the man accused of inflicting the infant’s fatal injuries remains at large, according to an Oct. 30 news release from the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
The prosecutor’s office said Justin Dye, 25, and Hannah Edinger, 29, left their infant daughter in the care of William Alexander McCallister on Feb. 21, 2026. McCallister, 32, is alleged to have inflicted fatal injuries on the child during that time, and she died on Feb. 26, Sheriff Rodney Smith said in a statement from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office. A county grand jury has indicted McCallister on charges including two counts of felony murder, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Dye and Edinger were each charged with endangering children, a third-degree felony, and both have posted bond, according to the prosecutor’s release reported by the Dispatch. Deputies arrested the parents on felony warrants on Wednesday, Oct. 28, without incident, with help from the prosecutor’s office, according to the sheriff’s office. Edinger’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 24, and Dye’s is scheduled for Dec. 3, the Dispatch reported.
“Every child deserves to be protected from circumstances that place their safety and wellbeing at risk,” Athens County Prosecutor Keller J. Blackburn said in the release, as quoted by The Columbus Dispatch. “When the circumstances surrounding a child’s death raise concerns about the decisions and actions of those responsible for that child’s care, our office has a duty to carefully examine the evidence and determine whether criminal charges are warranted.”
The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help locating McCallister, who is wanted for murder, according to the sheriff’s office. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the Athens County Sheriff’s Office at (740) 566-4300. McCallister is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, as are Dye and Edinger on the charges they face.
The indictments, announced eight months after the infant’s death, follow an investigation by deputies and the prosecutor’s office into the circumstances of the child’s care in February. The prosecutor’s release did not detail what evidence led investigators to the parents’ charges, and those questions are expected to be addressed as the cases move through Athens County Common Pleas Court this fall.
What happens next comes on two tracks: the search for McCallister, whose indictment remains outstanding until he is taken into custody and arraigned, and the parents’ court dates — Edinger on Nov. 24 and Dye on Dec. 3. NewsForce247 will update this story when officials announce an arrest or further court action.
Photo: Stch2022, CC BY-SA