GREEN BAY, Wis. - A 911 call on Monday first brought officers to Moraine Way for a pulseless, non-breathing person.
Officers soon learned that person, a 23-day-old baby boy, had died. The boy's father, Jeremiah Thomas, was the only person home with the baby at the time. He first told police that he may have accidently suffocated the baby while sleeping with him.
"We're in the business of being skeptical, so we always are," Green Bay Police Commander James Runge said. "That's why we keep looking harder."
Officers say the story from Thomas began to fall apart. The baby had suffered several skull fractures, 10 broken ribs, and other injuries.
"As we got deeper into the investigation, it was readily apparent that it was significant abuse," Runge said.
Police charged Thomas. He appeared in Brown County court Thursday, accused of first degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors detailed allegations inside a criminal complaint. It says that as detectives questioned Thomas, the story began to change. Thomas said that the weekend prior the baby fell out of bed, had been dropped on a futon, and spanked. Detectives told Thomas that the severity of the injuries point to trauma the day of the baby's death. Eventually, Thomas told police, he did believe he killed his baby boy.
A judge Thursday set bond at $250,000 cash. If convicted, Thomas could face life in prison.
