Family friend: Baby Chance’s mother cared only for herself

FORT MYERS, Fla. – At Chris Kallas’ car dealership, the girlfriend of one of his former employees, now charged in connection with her newborn’s death, was known as ‘The Black Widow.’

Kristen Bury, 32, and Joseph Walsh, 36, are each charged in connection with the death of Chance Walsh, their nine-week-old baby whose remains were found Oct. 15 in a heavily wooded area about 13 miles from their North Port home. Walsh is charged with second-degree murder; Bury faces a negligent manslaughter charge.

Chance, whose funeral was Sunday, was last seen by relatives on Sept. 9. The couple’s inconsistent versions of what happened to Chance after a vehicle wreck in South Carolina eventually led authorities to the baby’s body.

Kallas was Walsh’s sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous. Walsh was ordered to attend AA meetings in 2013 after many run-ins with law enforcement.

Kallas also gave Walsh a job washing and moving vehicles.

“He had the keys to our place,” he said. “He had everything. He was accountable for everything. He was one of the very few nowadays that I sponsor and say, ‘this kid’s gonna be a success.’ And I would tell people that. Then he met her and it was like the slide to hell.”

Walsh met Bury not long after he started working at the dealership.

Her nickname was derived from her personality, Kallas said.

“It was all about the attention of me, me, me, being pregnant,” he said. “Once Duane was born and the focus was on Duane, she just kinda like…it was always about her.”

Duane Jacob Walsh was Bury’s second child. Her first was given up for adoption nearly 10 years ago, according to friends.

Kallas visited the couple’s home following Duane’s birth.

“The smell was so bad in the house, I had to step back outside,” he said. “The dogs were everywhere, going to the bathroom all over the place. The rugs had to be ripped up. The piles of dog stuff was there so long it was white.”

Kallas said he thought about reporting the couple to the state Department of Children and Families, but didn’t.

Duane was dead one week later. He lived for two weeks.

Kallas helped pick the baby’s funeral suit while at a Sarasota mall.

During that trip, Kallas said Bury was picking out $600 dresses for herself.

“We’re burying a kid and this is about the type of dress we’re gonna wear,” Kallas said. “For the funeral? For the funeral.”

An autopsy determined Duane died of acute pyelonephritis, a severe kidney infection. Sarasota County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Russell Vega said the infection was the first he saw in an autopsy of an infant.

“At that time, our complete evaluation found essentially no significant injuries,” Vega told the Charlotte Sun in September. He added that the investigation into Duane Walsh’s death, which was ruled natural, may be reopened.

When Bury and Walsh talked about having another child, Kallas said he tried to talk them out of it. The couple had no money, no vehicles and were not working, but wanted another child “to make our lives whole again,” Kallas said.

“I said that’s crazy talk,” he said.

Bury became pregnant with Chance, but the couple continued their drug use, Kallas said.

About three weeks after Chance was born, DCF officials received a tip that Bury was using drugs. The department said there wasn’t enough evidence for an investigation because the caller didn’t have first hand knowledge of the drug abuse.
Six weeks later, Chance was beaten to death, authorities said.

“When I heard the baby was dead and everybody in the community that I know that knows this couple, not one of them thought it was Joe,” he said.

Bury told a relative she despised Chance because he was not Duane, according to a police report.

​Kallas doesn’t believe Chance’s death was pre-meditated.

“I believe that the baby wasn’t purposefully murdered,” he said. “I believe that the baby was neglected…due to their use of drugs and alcohol.”