A Michigan man accused of starving his infant daughter to death waited hours to call 911 after finding her unresponsive, and appeared unsettlingly calm when he finally called to report finding her unresponsive.
As WZZM reports, Seth Welch of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is on trial for felony murder and first degree child abuse in connection to his infant daughter’s August 2018 death. Mary Welch was 10 months old when her father found her dead in her room on August 2 of that year, after being left there for 19 hours.
A medical examination found that the baby died of dehydration and malnutrition as a result of neglect. Both Seth Welch and the girl’s mother Tatiana Fusari have been charged with child abuse and murder.
According to the report, testimony began at Seth Welch’s trial on Wednesday, when the courtroom heard a chilling 911 call the father made on the day his daughter died.
“Hi, I guess I don’t know if this is the right place to report this to. I’m at home and one of my children is dead,” Seth is heard telling the dispatcher.
During the call, the dispatcher asks Welch if he is sure the baby is dead, and Welch says, “dead as a doornail.”
When the dispatcher asks how he is holding up, Welch says,”You know. It’s just another day, right? You know, it is what it is.”
Welch also reportedly admitted to the dispatcher that he called his parents for advice before calling 911. According to the report, prosecutors say Welch also texted someone about selling a goat and searched the internet about a rapper’s kidnapping before calling 911.
Jurors saw photos of the bed that Mary died in, reportedly showing that she was lying on a mattress soaked in urine that was so moldy that mold extended to the wooden rail of her crib.
Welch’s attorneys are expected to argue that Mary’s death was unintentional, and the result of poverty and Welch’s inability to properly care for the baby and two other children. Welch reportedly stayed at home with the children and worked on his hobby farm while Fusari worked at McDonald’s.
Investigators reportedly found the home stocked with food but found hardly any baby food.
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