This is the heartbreaking moment a proud grandmother shared a photo of her newborn grandson – just a week before the boy’s mother reportedly left the baby for dead in a burning car.
Grandmother Tonya Luncsford beamed with joy as she held baby Grayson up for the camera in a photo she posted to her Facebook account on Sept. 9.
A week later, on Sept. 16, the newborn died of “hyperthermia, severe dehydration and gross neglect” in Peoria, Illinois, authorities said. The child had been left for at least four hours in a U-Haul truck rented by his mother, Andrea Luncsford.
Andrea, a 26-year-old OnlyFans model from Peoria, drove the car for days after Grayson’s father’s funeral on September 14. 25 News reported.
Grayson’s grandfather begged his daughter to leave the child with his grandparents, just hours before the child was found dead.
“You know a baby can overheat and die, please let us help you, from father to mother,” he texted his daughter, according to Fox 2 News.
Proud grandmother Tonya Luncsford beamed with joy as she held baby Grayson up for the camera in a photo she posted to her Facebook account on September 9.
Grayson’s mother, Andrea Luncsford, 26, has been charged with the newborn’s murder
Grandfather Andrew Luncsford tracked down his daughter to a home in Peoria’s East Bluff, where he found his grandson unconscious and not breathing in the truck on the evening of September 9.
He called emergency services, who found Grayson in the grass of a yard and attempted to revive him, eventually pronouncing him dead at the scene.
When police arrived, they found Grayson’s mother acting “strangely.” She later tested positive for cocaine.
Andrew told police his daughter ignored his texts that day until she told him the baby had stopped breathing.
When the grandparents arrived, she tried to drive away before they could get the baby off the bus.
The mother, who has a criminal record dating back to 2019, had already been taken into custody on suspicion of endangering Grayson. She was cited on Sept. 6 by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
According to spokeswoman Deborah Lopez, the agency has opened an investigation into “substantial risk of bodily harm or environmental impact.”
The mother seemed elated when she gave birth to her 6-pound baby boy on August 4. She posted photos of the newborn on her Facebook page.
Grayson’s father, Michael Eastwood Jr., 26, also filled his profile with photos of his “little man” when Grayson turned one month old on Sept. 4.
The Peoria, Illinois, OnlyFans model has a criminal record dating back to 2019 and had previously been arrested on suspicion of endangering Grayson
Grandfather Andrew Luncsford, pictured with another child, had begged his daughter to leave Grayson with him and Tonya
Luncsford appeared elated with Grayson as she posted photos of her newborn baby on Facebook
Two days later, Eastwood died of unexplained causes at Mount Sinai Hospital, near his Chicago home. His son’s life began to fall apart.
“I can’t believe you’re gone Michael,” Andrea posted on Sept. 7. “My heart hurts so much. We miss you so much. I can’t hold myself together. We need you. God. We need you.”
Police said Grayson was wearing the same clothes he wore to his father’s funeral when they arrested his mother on suspicion of murder three days later.
An autopsy revealed he may have been dead for 24 hours before he was removed from the van, which had no ventilation or air conditioning.
Grayson also appeared severely malnourished when he died, according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood.
“An autopsy on little Grayson revealed that he suffered severe neglect, severe hypothermia and severe dehydration,” he said at a news conference on Tuesday.
‘We’ve talked about safe sleep and the suffocations that can be prevented by safe sleep. This is also a preventable death.
‘If you leave a baby or child in a car for an extended period of time in this heat, the outcome will be the same as it is now: a one-month-old baby has died because he or she was in a car with no air conditioning, ventilation, nutrition or hydration.
Even an adult would suffer from hyperthermia and dehydration.
‘Unfortunately, it happens much faster with a baby, because of the body surface area and the composition of their body. Moreover, they are already vulnerable in childhood anyway.’
According to a count by NoHeatStroke.org, 33 children have died after being left in a vehicle so far this year, up from 29 last year.
Luncsford appeared desperate in her last Facebook update, which she posted a day after her partner’s funeral and two days before her son’s death
According to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood, baby Grayson also appeared severely malnourished when he died.
Andrea cried as she appeared in court on Wednesday and was told she faces up to 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty of her son’s murder.
A decision on bail is expected on Thursday, ahead of the summons hearing next month.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has opened a second investigation into Grayson’s death.
“The investigation is ongoing and we cannot comment further,” a spokeswoman said.
“We are working with local police on both investigations.”
