A sign for the garrison that says Welcome to Fort Benning, home of the maneuver center.

Pfc. Ladarrion McCray and Emma Bradshaw re accused of starving their child to death and abusing their three dogs while living in Army housing on Fort Benning, Ga. (U.S. Army)

By COREY DICKSTEIN 
STARS AND STRIPES

Published July 16, 2026

A soldier and his partner are accused of starving their child to death and abusing their three dogs while living in Army housing on Fort Benning, Ga., according to a federal indictment returned Wednesday.

Pfc. Ladarrion McCray, 23, and Emma Bradshaw, 22, “willfully deprived” their son of sustenance for more than two weeks, leading to the child’s death Jan. 28 in their on-post housing unit, according to the indictment. The couple is also accused of starving a dog to death and abusing two others.

McCray, of Valdosta, Ga., and Bradshaw, of Carson City, Nev., face eight charges, including murder by child abuse; cruelty to children in the first degree; making false statements; animal crushing; aggravated animal cruelty; and two counts of animal cruelty.

They face a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to Will Keyes, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

McCray, a cavalry scout, had recently arrived at Fort Benning, and Bradshaw was living with him when the child died. The pair told Army Criminal Investigation Division agents the child had shown no signs of illness before his death. Prosecutors charge that both parents knew the child was “suffering from severe malnourishment prior to his death.”

CID investigators executed a search warrant at the Fort Benning home on the day the child died and discovered two living dogs, including a female Doberman who appeared to be starving. Agents then found a third dog, a dachshund, dead in a trash container outside the home, according to the indictment.

The two living dogs were brought to an animal shelter on post, where a medical evaluation showed they were severely malnourished and had “significant muscle wasting.” A necropsy on the dachshund concluded the dog “died of starvation.”

McCray is currently facing discharge proceedings from the military because of the allegations against him, according to the Justice Department.

Army CID is continuing its investigation into the couple, officials said.

Crime and courts

Corey Dickstein headshot

Corey Dickstein covers the military in the U.S. southeast. He joined the Stars and Stripes staff in 2015 and covered the Pentagon for more than five years. He previously covered the military for the Savannah Morning News in Georgia. Dickstein holds a journalism degree from Georgia College & State University and has been recognized with several national and regional awards for his reporting and photography. He is based in Atlanta.

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