4-Year-Old Girl Dies of Cardiac Arrest in Travellers Rest, SC; Guardians Charged

Nancy West, 42, and Bradley Craig, 46, face homicide by child abuse charges after 4-year-old Cassie Owens was found unresponsive at a South Carolina home.

Two guardians charged in death of 4-year-old Cassie Owens in Travellers Rest

Two adults have been charged with homicide by child abuse following the death of a 4-year-old girl in Travellers Rest, South Carolina, Law & Crime reports. Nancy Dianne West, 42, and Bradley Kyle Craig, 46, were arrested at their home on the 1300 block of Chinquapin Road and booked into the Greenville County Detention Centre ahead of a bond hearing.

On 24 April, Greenville County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a 999 call about an unresponsive child at the residence. The girl — identified by regional Fox affiliate WHNS as Cassie Cheryl Ann Owens — was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Travellers Rest is located approximately 10 miles north of Greenville.

Investigators determined that Cassie had gone into cardiac arrest before she reached the hospital. The Greenville County Sheriff's Office announced that West and Craig, who served as Cassie's legal guardians at the time, had "deprived the child of proper nutrition."

The case was not without prior warning signs. On 28 March 2025, deputies had already investigated an alleged assault at the same address. Craig reportedly struck a child "in the back of the head twice with his hand" on that occasion and later admitted to doing so. It remains unclear whether that child was Cassie.

The sheriff's office did not specify how West and Craig were related to the girl beyond confirming their status as legal guardians. Both now face the homicide by child abuse charge announced by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.

Source: Law & Crime