Livingston Parish, Louisiana — (News Release / Livingston Parish Sheriff) — On August 21, 2016 just after 9:00 a.m., members of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office were contacted through 911 to dispatch a unit to the address of 28800 Gaylord Rd in Walker relative to an aggravated battery complaint.
Sheriff Ard says, ‘When my deputies arrived on scene, members of the Walker Police Department and the District 4 Fire Department were performing CPR on an 8 year old female. My deputies learned the juvenile was suffering from deep lacerations to her throat area.
Information at the scene revealed that the wounds to the child’s throat were caused by the child’s mother –30 year old Christine Courtney. Courtney had to be physically restrained by those on scene as she was stating that different people were telling her to take her own life and the life of the child. Courtney also had lacerations to her throat believed to self-inflicted.’
The child was pronounced dead on the scene by the Livingston Parish Coroner’s Office.
Courtney was taken by air to a Baton Rouge hospital where she is currently undergoing surgery for her self-inflicted wounds. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Courtney for 1st degree murder.
Ard says, ‘At this time, it does not appear that this incident is tied to the flooding event we are currently experiencing.’
This investigation is ongoing.
