A West Norriton man is facing a third-degree murder charge following an investigation into the death of his 6-week-old daughter, Mackenna Baylis.
Craig Baylis, 31, was arraigned on the murder charge on Wednesday afternoon. He’s also facing a felony child endangerment charge in connection with the incident, according to court records.
According to the criminal complaint, West Norriton Police were dispatched to a home at noon on Feb. 22 for a report of a cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, first responders found the baby’s mother performing CPR, at which point police took over CPR while awaiting Plymouth Ambulance to arrive.
Mackenna was transported to Einstein Montgomery Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 12:55 p.m.
An investigation by the West Norriton Police Department and Montgomery County Detective Bureau determined that the mother had left the home shortly before 10 a.m., leaving Mackenna in the care of Baylis. At 11:55 a.m., the mother received a call from Baylis stating that Mackenna had fallen, her nose was bleeding but “she was fine,” according to the complaint.
The mother rushed home to find Baylis rocking the baby, the report states. The mother said Mackenna appeared to be gray and lifeless and immediately called 9-1-1.
An autopsy was performed on Mackenna the following day, which listed the manner of death as undetermined pending further testing. On March 15, an examination of Mackenna’s brain showed numerous acute hemorrhages in multiple areas of the brain and eyes, according to the complaint.
Following those findings, Mackenna’s cause of death was listed as inflicted head trauma and her manner of death was listed as homicide. The medical examiner noted that the injuries stemmed from “vigorous movement of the head while relatively fixed in relation to the neck,” according to the complaint.
“A very vulnerable child -- only a month and a half old — was left in the care of someone who should have protected her. Instead, he shook the life out of baby Mackenna.” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “We will seek justice for Mackenna and for a family mourning the death of baby Mackenna.”
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 7 at 11 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Marc. Alfaranno. Baylis remains in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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