A Utah baby has died after getting critically injured while in the care of a babysitter.
Adalyn, 4 months old, went into cardiac arrest on May 7.
The girl’s family said that doctors conducted a brain scan on Friday morning and determined that she was dead, reported KUTV.
“We are beyond heartbroken. But if we can’t save our own little girl, then by donating her organs we can save eight other kids who need help,” the girl’s family said.
Before dying, a family friend said on a fundraising page for the family that Adalyn was on life support at Primary Children’s Hospital and was “slowly being overcome by a head trauma.”
Tragic update: baby Adalyn passed away this morning. It’s expected her 16-year-old babysitter will face homicide charges. LINK: https://t.co/LkeViF4Lqf @KUTV2News @WVCPD pic.twitter.com/orl3VmoS6m
— Jeremy Harris (@JeremyHarrisTV) May 10, 2019
UPDATE: the infant from the incident a couple of days ago died this morning. Our detectives will be meeting with the DAs office on Wednesday to determine what charges will be filed. The suspected juvenile remains in detention. There are no expected updates until Wednesday.
— WVC Police (@WVCPD) May 10, 2019
A 4-month-old baby died Friday morning after police took the infant’s teen babysitter into custody for investigation of felony child abuse two days prior, a family spokesperson said. https://t.co/2A7htz0A0n
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) May 10, 2019
The West Valley City Police Department issued a statement on Friday confirming the death.
The 16-year-old boy who was babysitting the baby was taken into custody.
Detectives were planning to meet with the district attorney’s office on May 15 to determine what charges will be filed. The teenager was going to be held in the meanwhile. West Valley City Police Lt. Steve Burke told Fox 13 before the death that the teen could be charged with homicide.
“We wait to see what happens with the child,” Burke said. “If the child survives the injuries, then obviously we look at crimes that direction. If the child doesn’t [survive], then we look at homicide charges.”
The boy has not been identified.
An infant critically injured in a suspected case of child abuse by the girl’s teen baby sitter has died, West Valley police confirmed Friday. | By @DNewsCrimeTeam https://t.co/F8oKqEE5El
— Deseret News (@DeseretNews) May 10, 2019
The cause of death isn’t clear but police previously referred to the case as a “shaken baby” case. Family members told Deseret News that Adalyn’s parents were picking her up from the babysitter’s home when they noticed she wasn’t breathing.
Police responded to a call about an unresponsive child and performed CPR when they arrived, West Valley City Police Lt. Kent Stokes told KSL.
“Obviously it’s a very sensitive and tragic event for the parents,” Stokes said.
“The babysitter did confess that he shook the baby violently,” Adalyn’s great aunt Elena Ratcliffe said. She said doctors had “tried to see if there has been any brain wave activity, which there is none.”
