Remembering Leland & River

Leland and River Bates were brothers. Leland was five years old. River was three. They were two little boys who should have had years of growing up together ahead of them.mRiver should have followed his big brother into kindergarten and elementary school. Leland should have gotten annoyed when his little brother copied him, and River should have spent years trying to keep up. They should have fought over toys. Made up five minutes later. Shared birthdays, holidays and family memories.

They should have grown from two little boys into two men who could look back together at the  childhood they shared. Instead, Leland and River died one day apart. There is much more preserved publicly about the investigation and trial surrounding their deaths than about the boys themselves. That means we don't know nearly enough about their favorite toys, their personalities, or all of the little things that made Leland Leland and River River. But we know their names. Leland Bates.

River Bates. Two brothers. Two separate little lives. And both deserve to be remembered.

Leland & River's Story

June 28, 2012 was brutally hot in Cleveland, Tennessee. The temperature reached approximately 101 degrees. Leland and River were with their mother, Natasha “Tasha” Bates. Tasha later told investigators that she had left her sons outside playing on a Slip 'N Slide while she went inside the family's home. She said the boys were unattended for approximately 45 minutes. When she returned, according to her account, both children were unconscious. There was no working telephone at the home. Rather than calling 911 from the property, the boys were transported about a mile away to their grandfather's home. From there, their family desperately called for help. The released 911 recording captured their grandfather trying to revive his grandsons as a dispatcher instructed the family through CPR. Both boys were severely overheated. One was already turning purple. Emergency responders rushed the brothers for medical treatment.

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River

Three year old River was transported to SkyRidge Medical Center. Medical personnel attempted to save him, but his body had become catastrophically overheated.

River was pronounced dead within approximately 45 minutes of the first 911 call.

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Leland

Five year old Leland was still alive. He was transported for specialized pediatric treatment in Chattanooga. Doctors continued fighting to save him, but the extreme heat had caused devastating damage. Leland died the following day, June 29, 2012. Within roughly 24 hours, a family had lost two little boys.

What Happened to Leland & River

Initially, authorities investigated whether the boys might have drowned. The autopsy results told a different story. Leland and River died from hyperthermia dangerously elevated body temperatures caused by extreme heat. Their core temperatures had risen above 105 degrees. Investigators also came to believe that Tasha's description of what happened did not explain the physical evidence. She maintained that she had left Leland and River outside playing with a water toy. Investigators concluded that the boys had instead become trapped inside a confined space their mother's vehicle on a day when the outside temperature reached approximately 101 degrees. Inside a closed vehicle, the temperature would have climbed even higher. Leland was five. River was three. Neither child was capable of protecting himself from the extreme heat. Their bodies overheated until their brains and other organs began shutting down. By the time adults realized how desperately the boys needed help, the damage was catastrophic. River died first. Leland fought for another day. Then he died too.

What the Investigation Uncovered

The investigation did not end with determining how Leland and River died. Detectives began examining the circumstances surrounding their deaths and the environment in which the boys had been living. Investigators obtained information alleging drug activity around the home. According to a later Tennessee appellate decision, witnesses told investigators that Tasha had been using marijuana shortly before her sons died, and one witness described her as “geeking.” Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant for the residence. The search uncovered evidence prosecutors connected to methamphetamine manufacturing. As a result, Tasha ultimately faced not only charges connected to Leland and River's deaths but drug-related charges as well. Prosecutors later used evidence concerning the condition of the home and drug activity as part of their case that these two little boys had been living in a dangerously neglectful environment.

Justice for Leland & River

In July 2012, a Bradley County grand jury indicted Natasha Bates. She was charged with: Two counts of felony murder Two counts of aggravated child abuse/endangerment and several offenses connected with methamphetamine manufacturing. Tasha denied murdering her sons. She continued to maintain that Leland and River had been playing outside and that she found them unconscious. Her attorneys argued at trial that although she had made irresponsible decisions, the evidence did not establish that she was guilty of murder. Prosecutors argued that the physical evidence showed the boys had been left inside the vehicle in extreme heat. In August 2013, the jury reached its verdict. Natasha Bates was found guilty of two counts of first degree felony murder and two counts of aggravated child neglect. She was also convicted of a lesser methamphetamine-related offense. Then came sentencing. The defense asked the judge to allow Tasha's two life sentences to run at the same time. The judge refused. Her reasoning was important: There hadn't been one death. There had been two. Leland was one person. River was another. The court imposed two consecutive life sentences, effectively ensuring Tasha would spend the remainder of her life in prison. Additional convictions resulted in a 40-year term running concurrently with the life sentences. Tasha later challenged her convictions through post-conviction proceedings. In 2019, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the denial of her petition for post-conviction relief. Her convictions and effective sentence of two consecutive life terms remained intact.

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Natasha Bates
Relationship: Mother
Convictions: Two counts of first degree felony murder and two counts of aggravated child neglect, plus a drug-related conviction
Sentence: Two consecutive life terms

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Forever Remembered

Leland was five. River was three. It would be easy to combine their names into one tragedy. The Bates brothers. Two children who died in a hot car. Two murder convictions. Two life sentences. But even the judge who sentenced their mother understood something important. There weren't simply two charges arising from one terrible afternoon. There were two people. So we remember them that way. Leland Bates. Five years old. A big brother whose life should have stretched far beyond kindergarten age. And: River Bates. Three years old. A little brother who should have had years to chase after Leland. River died first. For one final night, Leland remained in this world without his little brother. Then Leland was gone too. There should have been another summer. Another Christmas. Another birthday for each of them. There should have been school. Friends. Teenage years. First jobs. Adulthood. There should have been decades during which the age difference between five and three became almost meaningless. Instead, their childhood ended on one unbearably hot summer day. But Leland and River were more than the way they died. They were brothers. They were children. They were two separate human beings whose futures mattered. Abuse Angels remembers Leland and River Bates  two little brothers who deserved to grow up together, protect one another, drive each other crazy, make memories, and someday become old enough to tell their childhood stories themselves. We remember Leland. We remember River. We speak both of their names. And Leland and River Bates will not be forgotten.