03/21/2013 04:05 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - The woman charged in the drowning death of 6-year-old stepson is looking to have her trial moved out of Nueces county. An attorney for Laura Day filed the motion for a change of ve… Click to Read More and see additional updates
03/21/2013 04:05 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - The woman charged in the drowning death of 6-year-old stepson is looking to have her trial moved out of Nueces county. An attorney for Laura Day filed the motion for a change of venue during today's pre-trial hearing.
Day's capital murder trial was supposed to start next week, but that might be put on hold so the judge can consider today's motion to move the trial to another county.
The stepmother is accused of not doing enough to save 6-year-old Taylor Syring's life after pulling him from the water near Bob Hall Pier last fall. She's also charged with child endangerment and injury to a child.
01/22/2013 05:13 PM by Rachel Cole - rcole@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI -- The stepmother facing a capital murder charge for the drowning death of her 6-year old stepson pled not guilty on all charges Tuesday morning.
Laura Day is charged with three separate counts in connection to the death of her stepson, Taylor Syring, 6, who drown near Bob Hall Pier back in October.
Judge Bobby Galvan read Day her charges in court.
"Count one is capital murder, the punishment range for capital murder is life in imprisonment. Count two is a first degree injury of a child. Count three is a second degree felony however if the state can prove everything in the charging instrument it would make it a first degree felony," Judge Galvan said.
Police say, Taylor was lying face down in the water, that was after Day reportedly took off Taylor's life jacket but continued to let him play in the water.
Day's husband and Taylor's father, David Syring was in the courtroom as Day entered the plea. He maintains that Taylor's death wasn't intentional.
"It was a tragic accident," David said.
According to the affidavit, Day, rather than performing CPR on Taylor or calling 911, she said she placed the boy's lifeless body in her car and drove to Bay Area Hospital. During the drive, she passed up two fire stations where paramedics could have attempted to save the boy's life.
Her trial is scheduled to begin on March 25th.
01/22/2013 11:00 AM by Ben Lloyd - blloyd@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - Laura Day plead not guilty today to charges of capital murder, child endangerment and injury to a child related to the drowning death of her 6-year-old stepson last fall.
Police say Day allowed Taylor Syring to swim without a life jacket near Bob Hall Pier in October.
She told investigators she found the boy laying face down in the water. Rather than performing CPR or calling 911, Day told investigators she placed the boy's lifeless body in her car and drove 9 miles to Bay Area Hospital.
During the drive, she passed up two fire stations where paramedics could have attempted to save the boy's life.
Day was ordered to remain in the Nueces County Jail for the time being as Judge Bobby Galvan ruled she could not be counted on to follow the terms of a bond.
Last month two detectives testified they saw Day shopping at the mall while wearing a disguise. The conditions of her bond required her to stay away from areas where children gather.
01/18/2013 10:52 AM by Ben Lloyd - blloyd@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - Laura Day is now facing a charge of capital murder for the drowning death of her 6-year-old stepson Tyler Syring last October.
A grand jury determined there's enough evidence for Day to go to trial for capital murder, child endangerment and injury to a child.
According to police, Day took the boy swimming out on Padre Island and allowed him to enter the surf without a life jacket.
Day told officers she did not call 911 or attempt CPR, even though she is certified. Instead, she drove to the hospital some 9 miles away to seek treatment.
Tyler was pronounced dead at Bay Area Hospital.
Judge Bobby Galvan ordered Day to remain in jail last month when he revoked her bond for violating conditions of her release. Detectives testified in a bond hearing that they saw her wearing a disguise while shopping at a mall.
Her release on bond required she stay away from children.
12/18/2012 04:50 PM by Andrew Ellison - aellison@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - The woman charged with child endangerment in connection with her stepson's drowning will remain jailed without bond.
Laura Day tried to get a second chance at a bond this morning in court, but Judge Bobby Galvan said she already broke the rules once, so no bond would be given.
The rule he's talking about applied to Day's first bond. It says she's not allowed to go within 100 yards of a shopping mall. But when detectives testified two weeks ago, that they saw Day at La Palmera Mall on two occasions, Judge Galvan put her back in jail.
Day's attorney argued that Day needed to be out of jail to accept a job offer and take care of her son and ailing mother. She added that Day has not missed any court appearances.
But the prosecutors reminded the court of Day's criminal history. A history that includes a murder conviction in California.
In the end, it came down to the fact that she violated her bond before.
"Well I mean I did set a bond and it was a reasonable bond, and Ms. Day violated terms. So, it's denied," Judge Galvan says.
He did remind prosecutors that the clock is ticking. They have 90 days from the time of Day's first arrest to indict her, or she will be issued another bond. Galvan says he's compelled by law to do so.
That means the state has until early January to indict Day without her getting another bond.
12/18/2012 09:56 AM by Andrew Ellison - aellison@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - Laura Day, the woman charged with child endangerment in connection with her stepson's drowning, was denied bond this morning.
Judge Bobby Galvan previously revoked Day's bond two weeks ago, after two detectives testified that they saw her at La Palmera Mall on two occasions.
One of the conditions of her bond was that she not go within 100 yards of a shopping mall.
Galvan said she didn't follow the rules he set before, so no bond would be given now.
Her trial date on the child endangerment charge is still pending.
12/04/2012 03:10 PM by Mike Manzoni -- mmanzoni@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Laura Day, the woman at the center of an investigation into her stepson's drowning death, was arrested in court Tuesday after a judge revoked her bond.
Detectives testified that Day violated the terms of her release terms by visiting an area shopping mall. Detectives told the court they saw Day at La Palmera mall with her husband, David Syring, on two separate occasions.
Her bond conditions state that she may "not come within 100 yards of any school, church, playground, movie theater, shopping mall or other public or private places where children usually congregate."
Det. Mary Pena said she saw Day at the mall Nov. 3 wearing sunglasses and a brown wig. Another detective, Lee Galloway, said he saw her at the same mall the following day at both Grimaldi's and inside the mall.
"I felt like I won the lottery," said Kelly Syring, the boy's biological mother, in a phone interview Tuesday after learning of Day's arrest. "My son can't get up and walk around, can't go to school, yet she's [Day] able to go Christmas shopping."
Day was arrested in October and charged with endangering a child after prosecutors said she was with her stepson, Taylor Syring, 6, at Bob Hall Pier when he drowned on Oct. 5. According to an affidavit, Day said she never performed C.P.R. on the boy despite being certified to do so. The document also said she never called 911 and instead drove the boy to a hospital herself.
Prosecutors have said there is a chance the charges could be upgraded, but have not given specifics.
Both prosecutors and Day's defense attorney asked Judge Bobby Galvan to put a G.P.S. monitoring device on Day, but he decided instead to revoke her bond, saying that the terms of her bond were clear.
A trial date has not yet been set.
10/15/2012 05:47 PM by Rachel Cole - rcole@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Laura Day told contradicting stories as she exited the courtroom Monday morning.
"I did do CPR," Day said. However, police said Day didn't do CPR on the little boy, her stepson, who drowned near Bob Hall Pier nearly two weeks ago.
Day is charged in connection to the drowning death of her 6 year old Taylor Syring.
Monday was her first court appearance since her arrest on October 9th. She bonded out the next day, but was back in court to learn her bond conditions while awaiting trial for Endangering A Child.
Day's husband, the little boy's father urged her not to answer any questions after Monday's hearing.
Judge Bobby Galvan gave her a 9pm-6am curfew and told her to report to a pre-trial officer once a week.
Prosecutors were also adament about her staying away from other children.
"We would like to impose a condition that the defendant have no contact with minor children," Brittany Jensen said.
Day is prohibited from being within 100 yards of any school, church, playground or any other public or private places with children under 17 years of age.
Day has an extensive criminal history that included murder at the age of 17, but she refused to comment on that.
She could face additional charges in this case, pending the results of Taylor Syring's autopsy and the ongoing investigation.
10/15/2012 04:17 PM by Mike Manzoni -- mmanzoni@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Laura Day, the woman whose lengthy criminal history surfaced days after her stepson drowned while she was watching him near Bob Hall Pier, appeared in court for the first time Monday.
Day was ordered to "Have no contact of any kind with... the victim's family and/or witnesses..." She was also ordered to "Not come within 100 yards of any school... or other public or private places where children usually congregate."
Day's stepson, Taylor Syring, 6, drowned Oct. 5 after he was swimming unsupervised without a life preserver.
She appeared in court with the boy's father this afternoon.
Day did not answer any questions when she left the courthouse, but said reports that she did not give Taylor CPR were "not true."
The district attorney's office said additional charges are possible.
10/10/2012 10:13 PM by Mike Manzoni -- mmanzoni@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI -- The arrest affidavit for the stepmother who was taking care of her stepson when he drowned near Bob Hall Pier last Friday gives details of her account of the drowning that appears to contradict what she told the boy's biological mother the day he died.
In the affidavit, Laura Day details what she told authorities the night Taylor Syring, 6, drowned while playing in the water without wearing a life preserver.
The affidavit said that Day "...never administered CPR," and that she "...never called 911 nor asked for help to the people that were around her at the beach," after she found Taylor facedown in the water.
But in an interview Tuesday, Taylor's biological mother, Kelly Syring, said that Day told her she did perform CPR when they spoke at the hospital the day Taylor died. "I asked, 'Well, was CPR done?' and she [Day] said, 'Yeah, CPR was done.'"
The affidavit also notes that although Day did not perform CPR, she "...is a diver and is certified to perform CPR."
Syring said when she spoke with Day shortly after the incident, Day told her she drove Taylor to the hospital herself because they were too far away for emergency responders to arrive in time. But, according to the affidavit, "...there are at least 2 fire stations that were passed by Laura Day."
Syring could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
10/10/2012 06:22 PM by Caroline Flores - cflores@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - We have some new information on the stepmother arrested in connection with the drowning death of 6-year old Taylor Syring.
6 News learned today that she has had multiple run-ins with the law.47-year old Laura Day was arrested yesterday and charged with child endangerment. She was released on a $50,000 bond a few hours later.
According to police, Day told investigators her stepson took off his life jacket while he was playing in shallow water on Friday afternoon. She claims he went under and then surfaced face down in the water.
6 News uncovered a laundry list of crimes including theft, arson, and murder.
It all started in 1982 in California when she was just 17 years old using the name of Laura Lee Feist. Authorities confirmed she was convicted of the 2nd degree murder of her 21-year-old boyfriend James Anthony Kendall. Officials say she was sentenced to 17 years but only served 6.
Then about 10 years later in 1993, she was going by the name of Laura Lee Bush and married a man named Paul Ray Marsden. She was arrested on bigamy charges, charges she plead guilty to.
Then in 1995 authorities say she was convicted of making a fraudulent insurance claim. According to documents we obtained from the Carroll County Circuit Court in Maryland, she reported her car stolen, then burned her car and filed an insurance claim. This act lead to a conviction of arson and giving a false statement to police. In the same year, she was also charged with burglary but convicted of theft for stealing several items from an apartment.
A couple years later in 1998, she showed up in Texas where she married Phillip Day. They divorced in February 2012. In August, she married David Syring the father of the little boy who drowned.
Once we discovered Day's past, we went looking for her. We went to her home, but no one answered.
When we asked family of little Taylor Syring if they knew any of this, his aunt Alissa Strembler said, "No... hell no."
In fact they told me when they heard the news of Laura Lee Day's background, Taylor Syring's mother Kelly broke down.
"My sister can't even talk to anybody," said Strembler.
The family now asks anyone who may have seen anything the day of little Taylor's death to please contact police.
10/10/2012 03:27 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - We've uncovered an extensive criminal history for the stepmother accused of child endangerment after the drowning death of her 6-year-old stepson near Bob Hall Pier last Friday.
Laura Day, 47, bonded out of the Nueces County jail last night following her arrest by Corpus Christi police. But authorities confirm this is not the first time she's spent some time in jail.
Her criminal history starts in California under the name of Laura Lee Feist. She was convicted of murder at the age of 17 and ended up serving six years of a 17 year sentence.
About 10 years later she pleaded guilty to bigamy in Maryland. At the time, she was using the name of Laura Lee Bush, with the alias of Laura Lee Marsden.
Also in Maryland, she was convicted of insurance fraud, arson, theft and giving a false statement to police.
Back here in Nueces County, officials are waiting on the toxicology results for six year old Taylor Syring before moving forward in their investigation.
Catch our full report on the latest developments in the Corpus Christi child drowning investigation, tonight on 6 News and Action 10 News.
10/10/2012 11:02 AM
CORPUS CHRISTI - The woman accused of child endangerment following the drowning death of her 6-year-old stepson is now out on bond from the Nueces County jail.
Laura Day, 47, was arrested by Corpus Christi police late Tuesday afternoon. Investigators say she took Taylor Syring to the beach near Bob Hall Pier last Friday. She admitted to police that she took the boy's life jacket off as he was swimming in shallow water. But according to investigators, the boy went under the water and resurfaced face down.
Police have said there were no witnesses to the incident that happened just after 6 p.m. at the beach. Day did not call 9-1-1, instead she made the decision to drive Taylor to Bay Area Hospital which is 12 miles from the beach.
Doctors were unable to save the boy's life. The Nueces County Medical Examiner says autopsy results will not be released until toxicology results are complete.
The child's biological mother, Kelly Syring, says she was notified about her son's death while she was at work. She tells us she arrived at the hospital to find her son's lifeless, sand covered body.
"When I asked her why she didn't call 911, she said because where we were at it would have taken them too long to get there," Kelly said.
Last Friday she agreed to let her ex-husband pick Taylor up from school, even though it was not his designated day to be with the boy. Since their divorce in April, Taylor has not spent much time with his dad. So when he asked Kelly didn't really think twice, "because I knew Taylor really wanted to spend time with his dad."
10/09/2012 06:21 PM by Ben Lloyd - blloyd@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - Police have charged the stepmother of a six-year-old who drowned with child endangerment. 47-year-old Laura Day was arrested around 4:30 this afternoon.
We contacted Taylor Syring's biological mother, Kelly Syring, shortly after learning of the stepmother's arrest. She had not yet been informed the Day was in police custody.
Last Friday, Day took Taylor to Bay Area Hospital after he reportedly drowned while swimming near Bob Hall Pier. Police say she admitted to taking off the boy's life jacket as he was swimming in shallow water.
After she found him floating face down in the water, police say Day did not call 911, instead she put the boy in her vehicle and headed for the hospital which is 12 miles from the beach.
When we spoke to Kelly Syring, the boy's biological mother, she told us she asked Day why she did not call 911; the woman told her officials would not have come in time.
The Nueces County Medical Examiner says autopsy results on the boy will not be released until toxicology results are complete.
10/09/2012 12:38 PM by Janine Reyes - jreyes@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI - Police are still investigating the drowning death of a 6-year old boy out near Bob Hall Pier last Friday. According to police, the child's stepmother took him to the beach and let him take off his life jacket in shallow water.
The stepmother told investigators the boy disappeared and then resurfaced face down in the water. Instead of calling 9-1-1, the she rushed the boy to Bay Area Hospital some 12 miles away.
Doctors worked for half an hour in an attempt to save Taylor Syring's life, but he was pronounced dead on arrival. The boy's death has left his biological mother heartbroken.
Kelly Syring says her son was "never afraid, and he loved church, I guess he was strong." She says ever since he was a baby Taylor loved the water. Kelly tells us she just took the boy to the beach herself a couple of weeks ago and warned him about straying into the water.
"He loved the water, he had no fear, he would go out as far as I would let him," the mother said.
Last Friday she agreed to let her ex-husband pick Taylor up from school, even though it was not his designated day to be with the boy. Since their divorce in April, Taylor has not spent much time with his dad. So when he asked Kelly didn't really think twice, "because I knew Taylor really wanted to spend time with his dad."
Now it's a decision that will weigh in her mind forever. Kelly says she was at work Friday afternoon when she got the call any mother would dread. She rushed to Bay Area Hospital, where doctors said they tried reviving Taylor for 30 minutes. She arrived to find him dead and covered in sand.
This grieving mom is desperate for answers. She and police are asking any witnesses to come forward with any details on what they may have seen on the beach that afternoon around 6:00 p.m.
"When I asked her why she didn't call 911, she said because where we were at it would have taken them too long to get there," Kelly said.
No matter what the circumstances are behind Taylor's death, Kelly says Taylor's stepmom has left her broken hearted. "She took, she took my baby, she took my heart, she took everything. That's the one thing in this world that I, that I..."
As of Monday afternoon there autopsy results were not available.
The family has set up an account for donations at First National Bank and First Convenience Bank. If you'd like to contribute, ask for the Taylor Syring memorial fund.
Do you have a tip, information about a breaking news story, or a story idea for 6 Investigates? Contact the KRIS 6 News Desk at 361-884-6666 or send us an email.
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