23-06-2025
Staunton man enters plea in case involving dead baby
A second suspect charged after a baby was found dead inside a Staunton home in 2023 was back in court last week.
In Staunton Circuit Court, Christian B. Crouse, 22, of Staunton, pleaded guilty on June 10 to a felony charge of child neglect. In a plea agreement, his plea will be taken under advisement for one year and dismissed if he stays trouble-free.
The baby's mother, Mayada J.O. Denar, 25, had her guilty plea to child neglect also taken under advisement in May.
Both were charged last year following the death of their baby on April 1, 2023. The child, Mason Denar, was just shy of 7 months old when he died at a residence in the 300 block of North Madison Street in Staunton. According to Staunton Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph Perry, when police arrived at the home for a report of an unresponsive baby, they were met with "incredibly unclean conditions," he said at Crouse's sentencing hearing. Perry said the floor of the home was littered with trash, feces, clothing, food, and insects. There was also black mold on the ceiling and rotted food in the refrigerator, the prosecutor said at an earlier hearing.
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The baby was initially found in a bed by medical personnel. He was pronounced dead at the the unsanitary conditions, numerous bongs, glass smoking devices, a digital scale and "wax," a form of concentrated marijuana, were discovered in the residence. Perry said Crouse had a "significant addiction" to the wax.
There was no crib for the baby to sleep in, according to Perry, and he said the couple had a "co-sleeping arrangement" with their child. Court records indicate the baby slept with the couple since birth.
An affidavit to a search warrant said photographs of the deceased infant showed he had discoloration on his back, leading up to his neck. He also had purple and blue discoloration in his left foot. The baby's official cause of death was listed as "sudden unexpected death." No drugs were found in the child's system.
Linda Czyzyk, of the Staunton Public Defender's Office, said Crouse and his family had only lived at the residence for about a month and were on a waiting list for Section 8 housing. "This was not a permanent situation," she said. "They were in desperate straits."
The couple also had three dogs and puppies, according to Czyzyk, who admitted the setup was not "an ideal living situation. This was more of a situation - they were poor."
Crouse, who had been jailed since May 6 after having his bond revoked for failing multiple drug screens, has been released from Middle River Regional Jail, online records show.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@ You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton man enters plea in case involving dead baby
