2-month-old with head wounds likely victim of father's abuse
A Merced infant is in critical condition after receiving massive head wounds, with his father being the primary suspect in inflicting them. 20-year-old Evan Barrett was arrested on September 9th for felony child endangerment.
Evan Barrett
The Merced Police Department first became aware of the incident when it was reported that a two-month-old child was delivered to the Mercy Hospital emergency room with massive head wounds. When authorities arrived at the hospital to investigate, the child’s father, Barrett, agreed to take a detective to his residence on 55 West 12th Street to demonstrate how his son sustained his injuries.
According to Barrett, he was watching his son around 1:00 PM when the child began to cry. Barrett said he picked up his son, but began to lose his balance before he could secure the infant. As Barrett began to fall, he threw the child onto a nearby mattress (which was on the ground and not on a box spring).
Barrett said he believed that his son subsequently bounced off the mattress and landed on the floor headfirst, thus sustaining the head injuries. After his son’s fall, Barrett says he checked to see if the child was ok.
It wasn’t until 3:30 PM, when the child’s mother arrived home from work and found the child unresponsive, that the 2-month-old was taken to the hospital. The child was eventually transported to Valley Children’s Hospital and is listed in critical condition.
After questioning, Barrett was arrested and booked at the Merced County Jail. The case is still being investigated. Merced Police Department PIO Lt. Tom Trindad was unavailable for comment.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is requested to call Detective Robert Solis at (209) 385-4703, or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at (209) 385-7742.
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Merced Sun-Star: Merced man accused of abusing 2 month-old baby
