An Idaho man was arrested on Saturday, a day after his 5-month-old daughter reportedly died with injuries consistent with abuse.
On Wednesday, the infant’s mother called police on Wednesday claiming her daughter was not breathing and that she, the baby, and the father, Roger Denig, 21, were en route to the hospital. EMTs who performed CPR once the girl arrived at the hospital noticed yellow bruises on her forehead and bruises on her upper body that appeared older, according to East Idaho News.
While Denig disclosed that his daughter has laryngomalacia — a birth defect that can cause the larynx’s soft tissues to block the airway — doctors determined that she had no brain activity due to a traumatic injury. In addition to broken ribs, they also concluded that the brain tearing she sustained was consistent with being shaken, East Idaho News reported.
At some point, Denig allegedly blamed his daughter’s injuries on the rough road they took to the hospital. The mother reportedly told authorities that Denig was watching their baby as she slept, but Denig woke her up because the baby stopped breathing.
Denig initially denied allegations that he harmed his infant daughter because she was fussy.
“Denig stated he didn’t think so. He stated he was bouncing her … and maybe he shook her harder than he thought,” a detective wrote.
Denig’s daughter was taken off life support on Friday, a day before he was charged with first-degree murder. He is due in court on July 7.
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[Featured image: Roger Denig/Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office; GoFundMe]
