On January 7, 2026, 2-year-old Noah Etress died from a gunshot wound to the head in a Blount County, Alabama home, leading to his mother Evelyn Leyva Etress’s arrest. She faces charges of reckless manslaughter and aggravated child abuse, as announced by District Attorney Pamela Casey.
Incident Details
Deputies responded around 10 a.m. to find Noah injured; first responders tried to save him before he was pronounced dead at a hospital. Etress reportedly left Noah and two siblings alone in a bedroom while making tea, having left a handgun on a dresser overnight; she heard a noise and found him near the gun in a closet, with other children fleeing the area.
Multiple loaded firearms were recovered from the home, where other children were present at the time. The shooting is considered accidental and not self-inflicted, though details on who fired the weapon remain undisclosed amid an ongoing investigation.
Charges and Aftermath
Etress, 40, was also held on drug-related charges including unlawful possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, and paraphernalia, with a $90,000 bond. She was released from custody on January 10; no plea or attorney details are public.
The other children are now with the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Sheriff Mark Moon urged secure firearm storage, while DA Casey warned, “When a gun is left out, a child doesn’t see danger, they see something familiar”.
