A 7-month-old boy died Thursday after police say he was shaken by a 21-year-old man who was taking care of him on Aug. 14, according to Mineral Wells police.
Kace Wayne Harrison was the victim of child abuse, police say, and the man, Christopher Andrew Cervantez, is now facing a charge of capital murder. His bail is set at $1 million, Mineral Wells police Chief Dean A. Sullivan said in a news release.
On Aug. 14, Kace was flown to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth after Mineral Wells police responded to a home in the 1800 block of SE 14th Avenue for a report that Kace "had fallen off the bed," police said. Medical officials and detectives determined his injuries were consistent with child abuse.
Cervantez was later arrested that evening on a charge of injury to a child with serious bodily injury until Kace died on Thursday at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, police said in a news release.
Firefighters and emergency medical services found Kace unresponsive and "appeared almost lifeless," police said.
Cervantez "told officers he had been preparing a bottle" when he "turned around to find the baby had 'fallen off the bed,'" police said. He told police that he noticed "something wrong" with Kace and called 911.
Hospital workers examining Kace told investigators that his injuries were inconsistent with a fall.
A medical evaluation showed the baby suffered from serious, closed head trauma, police said. He was transferred to Cook Children's Medical Center.
Investigators contacted Kace's mother who was away from the home on a personal errand and told detectives that she frequently left Kace in the care of Cervantez, police said. She said she never suspected any form of abuse or neglect of Kace by Cervantez, police said.
Detectives met with investigators from the Fort Worth Cook Children's Advocacy Resources and Evaluation team who evaluated Kace's injuries and said they were not consistent with injury from a fall from the height of a bed. The team expressed their concern that Kace was the victim of child abuse.
Detectives issued an arrest warrant for Cervantez. He was released from jail and out on bond from the previous charge. He was later taken into custody on the murder charge.
