Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele has announced the arrest of a 29-year-old father from Lower Providence who is accused of sexually assaulting his 10-month-old daughter prior to her death on Oct. 4.
Austin Stevens, of the 3400 block of Germantown Pike, is facing felony charges of aggravated assault, rape – forcible compulsion, rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of a child and related offenses in connection with the death of 10-month-old Zara Scruggs.
According to the criminal complaint, Lower Providence Police were dispatched to 3454 Germantown Pike on Oct. 3 at 10:40 p.m. for a report of an unresponsive infant. Upon arrival, police found the infant and her father, identified as Stevens, and immediately began CPR on the unresponsive infant. The victim was transported to Einstein Medical Center Montgomery via ambulance, but she was pronounced dead at 12:12 a.m. on Oct. 4.
Police immediately began an investigation into the infant’s death, which included the execution of a search warrant to download the contents of Stevens’ phone, the report states. The download of the phone showed that Stevens’ had conducted multiple Google searches nearly an hour before calling 9-1-1, including queries for “if baby stopped breathing,” “what if you don’t hear baby heart or beat” and “how do you know if a baby is dead,” police said.
Police also recovered a diaper that was worn by the infant while she was being transported to the hospital, which investigators said was saturated with blood, the report states.
On Oct. 4, an autopsy was conducted that determined the infant was the victim of a sexual assault, in which she sustained anal rectal trauma and blunt force trauma to the head, the report states. The cause of death has been listed as pending, as investigators await additional forensic test results, the district attorney said.
“This case is deeply disturbing. It is hard to imagine this child’s death being any more traumatic: sexual assault on an infant, followed by inaction by the father to save her life, led to her death,” said Steele.
Stevens was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar, who set bail at $1 million cash. Stevens was then remanded to county jail after failing to post bail, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. in front of Judge Rebar.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said, and additional charges could be filed pending the results of the forensic tests.
(All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.)
See also:
Parents Found Passed Out In Vehicle With Heroin, Needles And 3 Young Children: Police
Former Teacher At Germantown Academy Accused Of Sexual Relationship With High School Student
County Detectives Arrest Montgomery Township Man On Child Pornography Charges
Ft. Washington Man Charged With 300 Counts Of Possession Of Child Pornography
Harleysville Man Charged With Stealing $484,000 From Family Business
