A Linn County couple is facing charges of child abuse and endangerment following the death of their infant daughter.

Court records indicate that 19-year-old Jessica Loucks and 23-year-old Kullen McElhaney are accused of abuse resulting in the death of their infant daughter in June. According to probable cause statements, deputies with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of an infant not breathing at a home in Bucklin on June 5, 2025. McElhaney told deputies that he had accidentally dropped their daughter after she was fed, causing her to land on the base of a pedestal fan. The infant was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead. The statement goes on to note that an autopsy found multiple injuries consistent with physical abuse. An examination of her twin brother also unveiled broken bones and abnormalities that deputies say is also consistent with child abuse.

Prosecutors charged Loucks and McElhaney on Monday, Dec. 15 with abuse resulting in the death of a child, abuse resulting in serious injury, and endangering the welfare of both children. Bond has been set at 100-thousand dollars each, cash only. An initial court hearing for the two has not been set at this time.