A man is in jail on a murder charge after his 5-month-old fell out of bed and died, Henry County police said.
Neither of the child's parents called 911 from the residence in the 1000 block of Rock Quarry Road in Stockbridge, Henry police Capt. Mike Ireland said.
At the time of the incident Sept. 21, Marquise Simmons was caring for the baby while the mother was at a job fair, Ireland said.
When the baby fell, Simmons sent a text message to the mother about 1 p.m. that the baby was unresponsive, Ireland said.
“The mother arrived at the residence and was given the unconscious child,” Ireland said.
A friend took the child and parents to Piedmont Henry Hospital, Ireland said.
The baby, who wasn't breathing, was then flown to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
The child reportedly had a severe brain injury, police said.
Simmons, 25, left the hospital when a security guard approached him, Ireland said. The investigation revealed that Simmons left because he had four warrants on charges of family violence against the mother of the child, Ireland said.
Simmons turned himself in the next day and was booked into the Henry County Jail for the family violence warrants.
He was charged Wednesday with second-degree malice murder and first-degree cruelty to children.
“This is still an active investigation,” Ireland said.
Know what’s really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC’s crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.
In other news:
About the Author
