Man violently shakes girlfriend’s toddler for 20 seconds, killing her, officials say
An Indiana man has been charged in connection to the violent shaking death of his girlfriend’s toddler, officials said.
Jesse Sartin of Lawrenceburg was charged Aug. 2 with murder and aggravated battery resulting in the death of a child, according to an Aug. 5 news release from Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens.
Attorney information for Sartin was not available.
Officers were called July 24 to a local hospital to investigate a suspicious head injury of the nearly 2-year-old patient, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Hospital staff were told the girl was injured after falling off an ottoman, but an investigation revealed Sartin shook the toddler, causing severe brain swelling, court records show.
Sartin was watching the child while her mother was at work, authorities said. Both the toddler and her mother had lived with Sartin in his home for about a year, court records show.
Sartin told investigators he shook the girl for about 20 seconds when she started to flail because she didn’t want to get out of the bathtub, court records show.
The toddler was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery to relieve the swelling in her skull, officials said.
Doctors said the swelling was so severe, her brain herniated and it was ”leaking through her ears,” court records show.
The child died Aug. 1 from her injuries, officials said.
An autopsy revealed the she had “swelling to the brain, significant hemorrhages in both eyes and hemorrhaging in the spinal cord,” injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome, according to authorities.
Lawrenceburg is about a 100-mile drive southeast from Indianapolis.
Shaken baby syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome is a traumatic brain injury inflicted when a baby is violently shaken, causing their brains to bounce back and forth in their skulls, leading to swelling, bruising or bleeding, according to the National Institute or Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
These injuries can lead to long-term brain damage or death.
This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Man violently shakes girlfriend’s toddler for 20 seconds, killing her, officials say."
