A West Jordan couple were charged Friday with murder and child abuse after an autopsy revealed that a 13-day-old baby likely died from severe brain injuries sustained while in their care.
The two each face charges of first-degree felony murder and three counts of child abuse in the Sept. 17 death, according to charging documents.
West Jordan police began investigating after receiving a call regarding a baby in cardiac arrest at the couple’s residence. Officers found the baby on a bedroom floor. After attempting life-saving measures, the infant was pronounced dead at the scene, documents state.
Officers and medics noted that the baby had bruises on his left shoulder and arm and around his eyes. He also had injuries on his lip, chin and left ear.
The child’s mother reportedly told officers the baby seemed tired but happy earlier that morning. She left the child alone with her boyfriend at times throughout the day. The last time was about 9 p.m., when she called a friend.
When she returned from the phone call, she found her child wearing only a diaper and her boyfriend moving his legs in a “rough weird bicycle thing,” according to court documents.
About an hour later, she put the child to bed, where he moaned continuously. She fell asleep and woke up, hearing the child grunt. He later gasped for air. After she pinched him to get a response, the baby gasped and stopped breathing.
The couple then ran upstairs — where the child’s grandmother lived — so they could call for help, according to court documents.
The mother described to police her boyfriend’s pattern of abuse toward her and the baby, and her boyfriend’s “rough” handling of her son, reportedly saying he would grab, throw, slap and bite the newborn when he was angry.
Though the mother was aware of bruises and marks on the baby, purportedly caused by her boyfriend, she never sought medical treatment and continued to leave him in her boyfriend’s care, according to court documents.
The boyfriend reportedly told police he and the child’s mother had used heroin around the baby that night. He also said she wasn’t responsible for the child’s injuries, court documents state.
The medical examiner who conducted the baby’s autopsy noted that the child had lost about 14 percent of his body mass since birth, had bruises and abrasions on his body, and had a broken arm bone and rib. The preliminary investigation indicated that the baby’s cause of death likely was due to severe brain injuries sustained shortly before he lost consciousness.
A warrant was issued Friday for the man and woman’s arrest. Neither has been booked into the Salt Lake County jail, according to jail records.
