Baby Found Buried in Backyard Died From Blunt Force Trauma

Erwin police have ruled the November 22, 2o21, death of a baby boy found buried in a backyard a homicide after an autopsy report revealed he died from blunt force trauma to the head. The child’s parents, Dustin Vandyke, 28, and Gracie Riddle, 18—who are reportedly cousins—stand accused of murdering the boy. Officials opened an investigation into the pair in early August after receiving a tip of an unreported death on Moulton Springs Road. While searching the property, one of the K9 cadaver dogs located the boy’s body, buried behind the couple’s house. One neighbor told ABC11 that an unused lawn mower sat atop the location of the body, effectively hiding it. Vandyke and Riddle are set to appear in court Sept. 6. They face charges of murder in the first degree and are being held without bail.