Second of 2 people sentenced in death of baby in ‘most severe cases of abuse’ investigator has seen

The second of two people charged in a child abuse case that resulted in death, called by an investigator the “most severe cases of abuse” she has seen, has been sentenced to prison.

Harvey C. Gollahan, 42, of Middlesboro, accepted a plea deal in Bell County in the death of 17-month-old Elena Hembree on July 30, 2023.

Elena was taken to Middlesboro Appalachian Regional Hospital on July 28, 2023, before being airlifted to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. The toddler died there two days later.

Elena’s mother, 23-year-old Erica Lawson, of Mt. Vernon, was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree criminal abuse (victim under 12), failure to report child abuse, and felony wanton endangerment.

She was later charged with aggravated murder and pled guilty to that charge in May of this year. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Gollahan was initially charged with murder and first-degree criminal abuse (victim under the age of 12). Earlier this week, he was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree criminal abuse, according to WYMT.com.

“In my time with the commonwealth, this is one of the most severe cases of abuse, specifically because that baby is 17-months-old …,” Middlesboro Police Department investigator Caley Ayers previously told WBIR.com.

(Photo l-r: Elena Hembree, Harvey Gollahan)

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com