KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A 40-year-old Kansas City man has been charged in the death of his fiancée’s 4-month-old grandchild, prosecutors announced Thursday in a news release.
Matthew Beck faces one count of second-degree murder, and the child’s grandmother, 38-year-old Carly George, has been charged with hindering prosecution of a felony. No information is listed in online court records, and it’s not clear whether they have attorneys who can speak on their behalf.
Court documents say Beck told officers that he awoke to find the infant blueish in color and not breathing last week. He said the baby had been sick and throwing up beforehand.
The child was taken to a hospital, where he died the next day. He had multiple skull fractures, a brain bleed and chest trauma, according to court documents.
Officers also spoke with George, who described giving CPR and said the infant had been sick lately. But the charging documents said the infant’s injuries were “not consistent with a natural death.”
Court documents say another witness told police that after the child died, she overheard George tell Beck to hide.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker described the child’s death as “an awful tragedy” in the news release and urged people to report abuse.
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