A southeastern Indiana man is slated to appear in court this afternoon to face charges in the tragic death of his girlfriend's toddler. Jesse Allen Sartin, 25, from Lawrenceburg, was arrested last Friday morning and spent the weekend in custody at the Dearborn County Jail, according to court records cited by FOX19.
Sartin faces allegations of murder and aggravated battery, which resulted in the death of a 21-month-old child in his care. This was confirmed by Dearborn/Ohio County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens. The case unfolded on July 24 when the toddler was admitted to St. Elizabeth Dearborn Hospital's emergency room with injuries that court documents revealed were "not consistent with the story given," as per FOX19. Following her admittance to the hospital, the child was transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries on August 1.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office has ruled the death a homicide. An affidavit noted, "These injuries are all consistent with shaken baby syndrome," according to FOX19. Indicating severe trauma, including brain swelling, hemorrhages in both eyes and spinal cord hemorrhaging. Despite initial reports to the hospital staff and police that claimed the toddler fell after a dog knocked her down while she stood on an ottoman – a narrative Sartin relayed while making her a bottle – subsequent investigation has challenged this claim, detailed in court records obtained by Local 12.
Prosecutor Deddens explained that "after an investigation, it was determined Sartin allegedly shook the child for about 20 seconds", as reported by WLWT. Various reports confirm that Sartin was not the biological father but the boyfriend of the toddler's mother, a fact deduced during the investigation into the case.
