A North Carolina man with a previous child abuse conviction has been charged in connection with the death of his baby daughter, the Statesville Record & Landmark newspaper reports.
Adrian Rashaun Lyons, 25, stands accused of first-degree murder following the infant’s death last year, according to an announcement on Thursday by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
Lyons had initially been charged with felony negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, but based on the results of an autopsy showing blunt force trauma from assault, Lyons was subsequently charged with murder.
The development comes months after police were called to Lyons’ home in Mooresville on September 18, 2022, for a report of an unresponsive child.
At the time, Lyons alleged that he found the child unresponsive and limp a half-hour after feeding the baby and putting her to sleep.
Lyons allegedly woke up the girl’s mother, 29-year-old Calinda Steinseifer, and told her that their daughter needed to go to a hospital. Lyons called 911 and CPR was attempted on the child.
The girl was hospitalized at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center for hemorrhages, bleeding and swelling in the brain and was subsequently rushed by helicopter to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. Medical staff described the injuries as “un-accidental brain trauma,” according to WHKY.
She died September 21, according to the Statesville newspaper.
Lyons reportedly confessed to hitting the child’s head, allegedly admitting that he ran into a door and struck the infant’s head two weeks before she was hospitalized, according to court records obtained by Law&Crime. In an interview with investigators, Lyons allegedly said “the baby would not eat, was crying a lot and twitching,” according to the news outlet.
Steinseifer told authorities she knew about the incident but opted not to seek medical care for her daughter out of fear that she would get in trouble, the Statesville newspaper reports. Authorities also charged Steinseifer with felony child abuse.
Public records show Lyons has a 2019 conviction for felony child abuse and neglect and was on probation at the time he was arrested in September 2022 in connection with this daughter’s death, according to the Statesville newspaper.
His criminal history also includes possession of carrying a concealed weapon, driving after consuming under 21 years of age and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
Lyons is scheduled to appear in court on March 15 and is being detained in the Iredell County Detention Facility. Steinseifer is scheduled to appear in court April 10.
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[Featured image: Adrian Rashaun Lyons and Calinda Steinseifer/Iredell County Sheriff’s Office]
