The 10-month-old baby who died May 23 after he allegedly was abused by his caregiver had sustained several injuries prior to his death, according to court documents and the Fremont County Chief Deputy Coroner on Wednesday.
Edward Hayes died after he was found unresponsive in a Cañon City motel room and rushed to the hospital May 21. Evidence showed that he had been shaken on more than one occasion, according to an arrest affidavit. Other bruising indicated a pattern of child abuse, as well.
His mother, Brook N. Crawford, 20, has been charged with child abuse, a Class 3 felony; child abuse, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and cruelty to animals – neglect.
The man who was the last person to care for Edward, William Jacobs, 21, has formally been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and cruelty to animals.
Crawford said she met Jacobs on March 14 when she was working as a receptionist at Motel 6, where he had been staying in a room. Crawford and Edward also had been staying in a room there since they lost their home to a house fire earlier this year. Crawford and Jacobs moved in together soon after they met and Jacobs became the caregiver for Edward while Crawford was at work; she said she had never seen him be aggressive toward the baby.
During Crawford's preliminary hearing Wednesday, Cañon City Police Detective Kassi Roquemore testified that upon interviewing Jacobs soon after Kenneth was transported to the hospital, he said Crawford went to work and left the baby in his care. He said the baby had been sick and he tried to give him some medicine but the baby didn't want to take it. He placed him on the bed and when he went to change his diaper, he stepped away, and when he turned back around, Edward positioned himself at a very awkward angle, arched his back and then became stiff and unresponsive.
Crawford told Roquemore that Kenneth was fine the morning before she went to work.
"She said he was tracking her as she was walking through the hotel room, watching her, smiling," she said. "She left him with Mr. Jacobs."
Roquemore learned from the emergency physician at St. Thomas More Hospital that Edward's CT scan showed a brain bleed that appeared to be a non-accidental trauma.
During an interview, Jacobs told Roquemore that about a week prior to Edward's death, he had been playing too rough with the baby and bit him and that he also had fallen out of bed and hit his head. He also said he had hit the baby's head on a doorframe when he was taking him to the bathroom to throw up.
Roquemore asked him specifically about shaking the baby.
"He said he did shake him that morning to get him to respond and to get him to breathe again after his initial seizing incident," Roquemore said.
Roquemore asked an attending physician if any of the injuries could have happened as presented to her by Jacobs, but the doctor stated that there was no way that that was possible.
"He said the injuries were consistent with a car accident," she said.
The family confirmed that Edward had not been in any car accidents and the doctor said the injuries were indicative of being caused by another human being.
An arrest warrant soon was issued for Jacobs. Crawford's family asked what evidence there was to already determine that Edward's injuries were the result of an injury rather than illness or any other means.
"It was injuries and everything that was going on with Edward was based on something that was done to him and the reason for him being in the hospital and that he would not survive was because someone hurt him specifically," Roquemore said. "The person who was alone with him when these injuries occurred was Mr. Jacobs."
Further imaging and a skeletal survey in the hospital also revealed bruises on Edward's knees, on his back, a fresh one to his temple and a "very clear" bite mark on his arm. There also was hemorrhaging behind both eyes.
Edward was not walking or crawling at the time of the incident.
A case staffing with the children's protective team at Children's Hospital concluded that the types of injuries Edward sustained occurred because of "violent shaking," Roquemore said.
On cross-examination, Crawford's defense attorney, Thom LeDoux, confirmed with Roquemore that Crawford was at work at the time the "newest" injuries took place that caused Edward's death.
Fremont County Chief Deputy Coroner Laura Allen said an autopsy of the baby revealed an "old" brain bleed on both sides of his brain, which was at least more than one week old and a newer one which was "very recent."
Upon cross-examination, LeDoux asked whether the pathologist had found that there was any malnourishment involved or if a lack of medical care was involved, to which Allen said she did not mention those in her verbal statements.
The forensic neuropathologist's final histology of Edward's case is still pending, as is the final autopsy report, but the preliminary autopsy report lists the baby's primary cause of death as blunt force injuries of the head based on autopsy findings and hospital reports.
Roquemore spoke to several of Crawford's family members who said they first met Jacobs on Easter, and they had concerns that Crawford had not known him very long but had let him watch Edward.
CCPD Detective Sgt. Timothy Smelser on Wednesday said Crawford told him that Jacobs had been "honest with her from the start" about his past criminal history and issues with his family members. Crawford said Jacobs had been charged for a crime that he "had to register for," that he had some assaults while in custody and some trespass charges.
"(Crawford) said she told her mother something, but not the whole truth," he said. "She said her family was kind of judgmental and she wanted her family to give Wiliam a chance to actually get to know him. It sounds like she was aware (of his criminal history) and she explained that he was honest with her from the start, but she had not been so honest with the people around her about it."
Magistrate Claire LeBeau on Wednesday asked both parties to submit written arguments by Aug. 16. She will review those and will issue a written order and put a new court date when she files her ruling regarding moving the case forward.
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