Father jailed after infant dies

By MIKE HALLIDAY

The Mirror

A teenage father was arrested this week in the death of his 9-month-old son in Federal Way.

An examination by the King County medical examiner determined Marquise C. White suffered skull fractures, brain injuries, liver and intestinal lacerations and had multiple rib fractures that were new and old. It was ruled the baby died from blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

The father, whose name isn't being published by The Mirror pending formal charges against him, was booked into King County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. He was in court Thursday for a bail hearing. County prosecutors were expected to ask the judge for bail to be set at $1 million. Charges against the suspect were to come in the next few days, authorities said.

According to the Federal Way Police, the father admitted to arresting officers on Wednesday that he lied to investigators when he told them he accidently dropped his infant son Dec. 30 while trying to answer his cellular telephone. The boy's mother wasn't at home when the purported accident occurred, officials said.

Police were notified that day that the boy was at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, being treated for injuries from the reported fall. However, when officers went to the hospital, the staff there told them the boy's injuries weren't consistent with the father's story. Doctors said the boy was suffering from life-threatening injuries, police reported.

At 4 p.m. on Dec. 31, the boy was taken off life-support systems because of the severity of his injuries. He died shortly afterward.

Staff writer Mike Halliday: 925-5565, mhalliday@fedwaymirror.com

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