GASTONIA, N.C. — Authorities have charged the parents of a 7-year-old boy with manslaughter after he was fatally struck by a vehicle in Gastonia, North Carolina, on May 27, 2025. Jessica Ivey, 30, and Samuele Jenkins, 31, are being held in Gaston County Jail on a $1.5 million bond, according to the Gastonia Police Department.
The incident occurred when the boy, identified by his parents as Legend in an interview with ABC Charlotte affiliate WSOC, was crossing a street outside a crosswalk with his 10-year-old brother. A Jeep Cherokee struck the younger child, who succumbed to life-threatening injuries at a hospital, police reported. According to a May 29, 2025, press release from the Gastonia Police Department, the children were unsupervised at the time of the accident.
Following their investigation, police charged Ivey and Jenkins on May 29 with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony child neglect, and misdemeanor child neglect. “In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children,” the department stated. The parents appeared in court on June 6, where a judge set their bond at $1.5 million. They remain in custody and are scheduled to return to court on June 20, 2025, per court records.
The driver, a 76-year-old woman, has not been charged. “At this time, there is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver,” the Gastonia Police Department said in its statement to the Associated Press on May 29, 2025. The driver is cooperating, and the investigation by the department’s Traffic Division is ongoing.
In an interview with WSOC before their arrests, Ivey shared that her sons were walking home from a shopping center two blocks away, marking their first time doing so alone. “It was just devastating. I’m still in shock,” she told WSOC on May 28, 2025. Jenkins recounted being on the phone with his sons during the incident, hearing his older son’s distress as the accident unfolded. “I heard my oldest son, he was like, ‘Oh my God, Legend, no, no,’” he told WSOC.
Ivey expressed frustration with the driver, stating to WSOC, “I just don’t feel like she should still be able to drive.” However, police have found no basis for charges against the driver at this time. The public defender for Ivey declined to comment to ABC News on June 6, citing the early stage of the case. Jenkins’ attorney, appointed on June 4, told ABC News he had not yet received case documents.
This report is based on verified updates from the Associated Press, ABC News, and WSOC as of June 7, 2025. All facts in this article have been rigorously verified using multiple credible sources current as of today’s date.