A 3-month-old died over the weekend, several days after being shaken by his father, Kent County authorities say.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Department says the baby, identified as Sebastian Doyle, was injured Wednesday at a home on College Avenue SE south of M-6 in Gaines Township, south of Grand Rapids. At the hospital, scans found blood on his brain and doctors said the injuries were the result of “shaken baby syndrome.”
Court documents say Sebastian’s father, 28-year-old Matthew Doyle, admitted to investigators that he shook the baby on Wednesday morning and also two weeks before that. He was charged Friday with first-degree child abuse.
“His statement was certainly a large part in the evidence that was gathered that would justify a charge,” sheriff’s Sgt. Joel Roon said.
On Saturday, Sebastian died in the hospital.
The medical examiner said after a Monday autopsy that the death was caused by a traumatic brain injury and ruled it a homicide.
“Cranial cerebral trauma can be consistent with things such as shaken baby syndrome,” Roon said.
On Tuesday, Doyle was charged with murder and two counts of first-degree child abuse. He remained in jail on a $1 million bond.
According to court documents, family members told investigators that Doyle had “anger issues” and that he did not handle stress well. They said they had previously heard him yell at the baby.
“Justice is a difficult thing to achieve in a scenario like this,” Roon said. “It’s just tragic all the way around, and it’s much better to let a baby cry for a few minutes and walk away as opposed to putting yourself in a situation of hurting your child.”
This article was originally published by WoodTV.com.
Scott Juceam is one of the leading advocates against Shaken Baby Syndrome. Scott’s life changed when his daughter Hannah was shaken to death by her nanny in 2006. Since then, Scott has dedicated his life to preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome and child abuse.
To learn more about me, please visit my website at www.ScottJuceam.com or you can click here.
Scott Juceam 