A 2-year-old boy, Noah Etress, died from a gunshot wound to the head at his Hayden, Alabama, home on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Emergency responders arrived about 10 a.m. at a residence on Orchard Circle and found Noah unresponsive; he was transported to Children’s of Alabama and later died. Authorities say the shooting appeared accidental and do not believe the wound was self-inflicted.

Noah was the youngest of five siblings and all the children were at home with their mother, 40-year-old Evelyn Leyva Etress, at the time. The mother told investigators she left two of her four-year-old daughters unattended in the master bedroom where loaded firearms were accessible. She reported hearing a gunshot, then seeing the girls run from a closet and finding Noah bleeding with a handgun on the floor. Investigators recovered that handgun and at least three unsecured long guns in the home.

Evelyn Leyva Etress was taken into custody and charged with reckless manslaughter and aggravated child abuse; investigators also discovered marijuana, suspected mushrooms and drug paraphernalia, and drug-related charges were added. She was held on a $90,000 bond and the other children were placed in Department of Human Resources custody. Did anyone in Hayden see or hear anything that morning that could help clarify what happened?