A 4-month-old Nashville girl has died after suffering severe head injuries while she was in the care of her mother’s boyfriend, a man who had previously been convicted of child abuse and child neglect.
Bobby Randall Conner Jr., 32, is now facing a murder charge in connection with the death of Nevaeh Petty. The case began with an aggravated child abuse charge after the infant was found unresponsive at a home on 24th Avenue North on September 19.
Police said officers were called to the home shortly before 5 p.m. after receiving a report of an infant in distress. Nevaeh was found unresponsive and taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in extremely critical condition.
Doctors later identified serious internal head injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging, that police said were consistent with abuse.
According to investigators, Conner told officers he had been lying in bed with Nevaeh while her mother was at work. He allegedly said he got up to use the bathroom and found the baby unresponsive when he returned.
Nevaeh remained on life support for four days. She was declared brain-dead Wednesday and later died, leading authorities to elevate the case from aggravated child abuse to murder.
The infant’s father, Edward Wagner, has said he had previously warned Nevaeh’s mother about Conner and his criminal history. Wagner also said he contacted the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services several times because of his concerns about Conner being around the baby.
Wagner said he was told during a previous welfare check that Conner was considered safe to be around the child. He has since questioned how the situation was assessed before Nevaeh was left in Conner’s care.
Nevaeh’s mother, Jessica Petty, has also said she believed she was permitted to leave the infant with Conner. She has rejected the suggestion that she intentionally placed her daughter in danger and has questioned why authorities allowed the arrangement.
The circumstances surrounding the DCS involvement remain an important part of the case. Statements from the family describe previous concerns about Conner, while authorities have not publicly established that the agency knew an assault against Nevaeh was imminent.
Conner has a documented history of convictions involving children. He was convicted of child abuse in 2020 and received a four-year sentence. He was also convicted in connection with a March 2025 child-neglect case and received a one-year sentence. He was released from that sentence in August 2026, according to police.
He was arrested after investigators located him at a motel on Spence Lane. His bond was initially set at $500,000.
The case is now moving forward as a homicide investigation following Nevaeh’s death. The allegations against Conner remain subject to the criminal court process, and a charge is not itself a finding of guilt.
For Nevaeh’s family, however, the investigation has already brought an irreversible loss. Her father has publicly said he wants accountability for what happened to his daughter and has continued to raise questions about the decisions that preceded the infant’s death.
