A Gloucester couple serving 30 years in prison on conviction of abusing their daughter was found guilty last week of felony abuse/neglect of their infant son whose remains were found buried in their backyard.
Brian and Shannon Gore were sentenced to 30 years in 2013 for felony abuse and malicious aggravated wounding related to the maltreatment of their daughter.
The girl was discovered emaciated and in squalor inside a makeshift cage in 2011 when police investigators went to the Gores’ mobile home on an unrelated matter. The six-year-old had the body weight of a six-month-old when she was found.
After questioning Brian Gore, investigators returned to the property and uncovered the remains of a seven-month-old boy buried under a backyard shed. Brian told investigators the boy had stopped breathing while he was home alone with him.
Both the boy and his sister had been kept a secret by the couple and had never seen a medical doctor. Brian Gore told investigators that was why he did not call for an ambulance when he discovered the infant was not breathing.
The couple was initially charged with murder in connection with the remains, but the charge was dropped in 2012 due to a lack of evidence at the time.
After a Virginia medical examiner ruled the cause and manner of the infant’s death was undetermined, the remains were sent to a forensic anthropologist for examination. The anthropologist’s findings led to new indictments against the Gores last year alleging felony child neglect and homicide in connection with the remains.
In Gloucester Circuit Court last week, 33-year-old Brian Gore and 28-year-old Shannon Gore pleaded not guilty to the new charges.

They were represented by attorneys Michael Hyman and Richard Langhorne, respectively.
The trial began with their pleas on Monday, May 18, and continued through the following day with the testimony of forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley. Owsley is the head of physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. His conclusion from examining the bones was that the child was chronically malnourished.
As part of his testimony, Owsley compared the remains of the Gores’ son, Conner Scott Gore, to those of another child of about the same age. Owsley pointed out that Conner’s bones were much thinner and fragile, which he said was the result of protein-caloric deficiency during growth.
The thin-shelled bones also had very little lacing, Owsley said, were half as dense as they should be and were translucent and porous. “I’ve never seen it this bad,” he remarked.
Owsley said Conner’s teeth were poorly mineralized and structural defects could be seen in the gaps in the surface of the enamel. There was also severe bone loss in his skull, leaving gaps.
Owsley observed an old skull fracture and said the infant was on his back a great deal of time as evidenced by a deformed cranium. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve seen it, but not this bad,” he said. Photos said to be of Conner were also presented.
Hyman and Langhorne argued that Owsley relied on things not in evidence in reaching his conclusions. Hyman said there was no proof that the infant photos were of the same boy whose remains were found, and that investigators relied on unverified entries in a baby book to determine his age at the time of death.
Hyman also said the fact that Shannon held the boy and kept him a couple of days after his death, as her husband had told investigators, and that Brian built a coffin for him showed the couple cared for Conner.
Langhorne also pointed to photos showing the boy with a bottle of what appeared to be formula, which Brian told investigators his wife provided for the child. He said malabsorption, a food allergy or illness could not be ruled out as causes for Conner’s condition.
The defense attorneys both made motions to strike the charges against their clients, citing the Virginia medical examiner’s report and lack of evidence that Shannon did not feed Conner.
Presiding visiting Judge William Hamblen called in sick Wednesday and Thursday and the trial resumed Friday morning when Hamblen dropped the homicide charges. Hamblen said, assuming the infant suffered from malnutrition, there was no evidence tying that to his death.
Proceedings on the abuse charges continued with the testimony of defense witness Ann Ross, a North Carolina State University professor and forensic anthropologist. She said soil and moisture entering the box the boy was buried in could contribute to bone deterioration, as well as warping, flaking and disintegration of some of the bones.
Ross also said there was no skeletal evidence of stunting, which would be a sign of nutritional deprivation. She said the brittle bones were a sign of scurvy, a disease due to vitamin C deficiency, and there were signs of possible rickets, a vitamin D deficiency. She said there was nothing to indicate a significant lack of total calories.
After hearing closing arguments, Hamblen found the couple guilty of felony abuse/neglect Friday afternoon and set their sentencing for July 22. They face up to an additional 10 years in prison for the convictions last week.
The Gores’ daughter was initially treated at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters before she was released to foster care. She has since been adopted, as has a healthy third child of the Gores who was about a month old when investigators discovered the girl and Conner Scott’s remains.