HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Harrisburg man is facing a murder charge after doctors discovered his baby died of traumatic brain injuries, and not an accidental drowning, as he had told police.
Police say they were called to the 4000 block of Wynnewood Road in Harrisburg for reports of a man yelling that he had accidentally drowned his baby on Aug. 18, 2022, around 1:30 p.m.
The man, identified as Devine Akbar Davis, 29, of Harrisburg, and baby were located a short time later at a local hospital.
According to a criminal complaint, Davis stated that he had been bathing his 3-month-old daughter when he heard someone knocking at his door. When he went to answer it, he allegedly left the baby unattended in the bathtub with the water running.
Davis told police that he was gone for approximately 30 seconds before returning to the bathroom, at which point he slipped and fell into the tub with his daughter still in it, knocking himself unconscious.
The accused said that when he woke up, the baby was on her side and her face was not submerged in water; however, her breathing seemed labored, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Davis allegedly wrapped the baby in a blanket and ran to his car to take her to a hospital. A criminal complaint states that the child was in cardiac arrest when she arrived at the hospital and was transferred to a different hospital due to her condition.
Officer say that they then returned to Davis' apartment with him for a reenactment of what happened. According to an affidavit of probable cause, the suspect's accounts of how he removed his daughter from the bathtub were not consistent.
Doctors at the hospital the 3-month-old was transferred to allegedly reported that she suffered from abusive head trauma as a result of shaking and impact, not drowning. They alleged that the baby had retinal hemorrhages, a fractured skull and subdural hemorrhage.
A criminal complaint states that police were notified of the infant's passing on Feb. 22. An autopsy concluded that the cause of death was complications of traumatic brain injuries and the manner of death was homicide.
Police charged Davis with one count of murder.
