Dorchester mother pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2025 death of her infant

A Dorchester woman pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of manslaughter for the death of her 5-week-old infant in January 2025, according to prosecutors.

Raynell Reed, 32, entered a guilty plea in Suffolk Superior Court on one count of involuntary manslaughter, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. She was sentenced to five to seven years in state prison.

In December 2024, Reed gave birth to a daughter at home. She and the girl’s father, Gerard Winn, 53, lived together in Dorchester. Reed learned that she was pregnant in September 2024 and was told that her expected due date would be in February 2025, according to the DA’s office.

The infant died five weeks later. During her life, she was “severely malnourished” and failed to gain or maintain weight. Though Reed and Winn observed these issues and knew that their daughter was born two months premature, they never sought health care for the infant, prosecutors said.

The girl’s health continued to deteriorate, and on the morning of Jan. 9, 2025, Reed called 911 reporting that the baby was not breathing. Emergency responders took the infant to Boston Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, according to the DA’s office.

At the time of her death, the baby weighed only 2.5 pounds. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that she was suffering from malnourishment and sepsis, prosecutors said.

The medical examiner also determined that the infant died due to “acute intoxication” from the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine. A toxicology test confirmed the presence of both drugs in her heart blood and liver blood, the DA’s office said.

Reed and Winn were both indicted on manslaughter charges in November 2025. At the time, they pleaded not guilty and were held on $100,000 bail.

Winn is due back in court Nov. 10 for a status conference on his pending manslaughter charge, prosecutors said. Reed’s attorney, Paul Davenport, did not immediately return a request for comment Sunday morning.