Indiana Man Who Blamed Dog for Infant's Fatal Brain Injury Now Charged with Murder

News By TooFab Staff |
Dearborn County Prosecutor's Office

The 21-month-old girl's brain reportedly herniated and was "leaking through her ears," leading to an investigation -- and alleged confession -- after the injury was deemed "suspicious."

A 25-year-old man from Indiana has been charged with murder and aggravated battery resulting in death, after his girlfriend's 21-month-old child suffered a fatal injury in his care.

According to Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens, the investigation into Jesse Sartin began on July 24th, after Lawrenceburg Police officers were sent to St. Elizabeth Hospital Dearborn to investigate the child's "suspicious head injury."

Sartin was watching the child while his girlfriend was at work, per Deddens, who said, "Initially it was reported to medical staff that the little girl was injured in an accident." Emergency brain surgery was "immediately performed to relieve brain swelling and pressure inside her skull," but the child still died on August 1. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Per court docs, via WLWT, Sartin initially said the child was standing on an ottoman and got knocked off by the dog when he went to grab her bottle from the kitchen.

According to the same docs, though, doctors said the child's brain herniated and was "leaking through her ears" -- before an autopsy revealed she had "swelling to the brain, significant hemorrhages in both eyes and hemorrhaging in the spinal cord." Those injuries, said authorities, were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

"Following an investigation, it was determined that Sartin allegedly shook the little girl for about 20 seconds," said prosecutors.

Days later, Sartin allegedly admitted to shaking the child after a bath -- saying she was "being aggressive and flailing her arms not wanting to get out of the bathtub." He also reportedly said he shook her for about 20 seconds, telling officers it wasn't the first time shaking her.

Per court docs, he claimed the girl was crying in a chair when he went to prepare her bottle, again insisting the dog knocked her off the ottoman.

Sartin was arrested on August 2 and appeared in court on Monday -- where he was reportedly ordered to be held without bond and to have no contact with the victim's mother. Sartin's next hearing is set for October.

In a letter Sartin wrote to the child's mother, which was read aloud by investigators during the court appearance, he allegedly again admitted to shaking the girl.

"Once the bubbles were gone, I drained the water and put her toys away," read the letter. "I tried to pull her out but she didn't want to get out. Screaming and swinging her arms. I tried to pull her out but she kept pulling away and I was getting upset. Baby, I'm so upset. I shook her trying to get her to calm down."