A man from Florida was taken into custody this week in connection with the death of his 5-week-old daughter, who sustained severe critical injuries following alleged incidents of shaking and spanking, as per police reports.
Dajuan Patrick, a resident of Jacksonville, was apprehended and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child on Wednesday, over a year after his infant daughter, Dahlia Siebenhaar, passed away, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Dahlia was swiftly taken to the hospital on the night of December 2, 2024, in a battered and unresponsive state, authorities disclosed.
Following an autopsy and review of medical records, it was discovered that the infant had suffered grave head trauma, resulting in brain death, broken ribs, extensive bruising, and bleeding behind the eyes from what investigators described as forceful shaking and handling.
Despite a tenacious fight, Dahlia succumbed to her injuries after ten days on life support, with the medical examiner determining her death as a homicide.
Patrick, aged 27, was reportedly caring for Dahlia at their residence on the night she sustained fatal injuries, while her mother was resting, as reported by WESH 2.
Initially, the father professed ignorance regarding the cause of his daughter's injuries, later altering his account to assert that he had tripped over a bag and inadvertently landed on the baby, as per authorities.
The reasons for the delay in apprehending and charging the individual, who displayed an impassive demeanor and pursed his lips in his mugshot, remain unclear.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood remarked, “The arrest in this case won’t bring Dahlia back or give her the childhood she deserved, but today we’re speaking up for her, because her life mattered.”
Patrick is currently being held without bond in Jacksonville and is awaiting extradition to Volusia County.
At the time of reporting, the sheriff’s office had not responded to a request for comment.
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