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Kitsap County man arrested in death of 2-month-old son

(File photo)

KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — Kitsap County Sheriff's detectives arrested a Keyport man in the murder of his 2-month-old son.

On Tuesday, social workers at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma called detectives after the child was airlifted to the hospital. Detectives said his parents had to first taken him to Harrison Medical Center in Silverdale, where he was diagnosed as having a skull fracture.

Police said doctors at Mary Bridge found the boy had also suffered strokes and had damaged brain tissue.

During an interview with detectives, the father said that around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, as he was moving an infant car seat that was sitting on their dining room table with the baby strapped inside, his left hand struck the top of a dining room chair.  He said the momentum of the movement, along with his hand hitting the chair, caused him to drop the car seat onto the floor, which landed face-down, detectives said.

Investigators said the floor is carpeted with a pad underneath.

Additional tests at Mary Bridge showed the baby had several rib fractures that indicated the injuries may not be accidental, detectives said.

The hospital also said there was also bruising in the baby's left ear, hand and wrist, an abrasion under his right eye and bruising starting to appear on the boy's abdomen.  Tests showed the baby's liver enzymes were elevated, which also suggested non-accidental injuries, according to doctors.

The boy was removed from life support and pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon. The Sheriff's Office said the lead investigator noted that the light abrasions on the boy that were seen the night before had turned into large bruises on the baby's face, head, ear, arms, hands, stomach and legs.

The Kitsap County Coroner listed the child's cause of death as severe multiple blunt force injuries to the head and multiple recent rib fractures.  The manner of death was determined to be homicide.

Medical authorities said that the baby did not receive the fatal injuries from falling to a carpeted and padded floor while strapped into a padded car seat.

The boy's 32-year-old father was arrested at 10:30 a.m. at his apartment in Keyport and booked into the Kitsap County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.  Bail was initially set at $1 million.

The man is expected to make his first appearance in Kitsap County Superior Court on Monday at 3 p.m.