The Lincoln Police Department is investigating the death of a 2-month-old girl after her parents brought her to a local hospital late last month and later lied to police about the circumstances of her death, investigators alleged in court filings.
The child's mother brought the girl, who was unresponsive and not breathing, to Bryan East Campus on March 28, when the 2-month-old was pronounced dead, Lincoln Police Investigator Sara Prewett said in an affidavit for a temporary custody order made public Monday.
In the two weeks since, the girl's mother has provided contradicting accounts about what led up to her daughter's death, including differing stories about where the girl was when she stopped breathing and how soon she and the child's father sought medical attention for the girl, Prewett said in the affidavit.Â
Police also believe the parents directed friends and the mother's other children to lie to investigators about what happened March 28, according to the affidavit.
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In interviews with investigators, the deceased child's 8-year-old sister said the child's father, a 44-year-old man, was increasingly upset as he held the crying 2-month-old at his central Lincoln home, Prewett said.Â
That's when the 2-month-old let out a scream before she went "blank," the girl's sister told police. The infant's eyes closed and she soon turned purple, her sister said.
The 8-year-old told police that she thought her baby sister was just sleeping, but then her mom yelled at the 44-year-old to put the girl down, Prewett said in the affidavit.
The man put the 2-month-old on a bed as the infant's parents called her name, trying to wake her, her sister told police. All four of the infant's siblings told investigators that the 44-year-old then punched a hole in the wall after the girl stopped breathing.
The girl's mother and one of the 44-year-old man's roommates wanted to call 911, the 8-year-old sibling said, but he wouldn't let them.
Police believe the infant's father refused to let anyone call 911 because he is a convicted and registered sex offender and is not allowed to be around unsupervised children as a condition of his parole, according to the affidavit.
The 44-year-old drove the child and her mother to Bryan East and dropped them off at the emergency room before leaving the car there and walking away from the area on foot, Prewett said.
The man broke his phone into pieces as he walked away, according to the affidavit.
The infant's mother told police she called the girl's pediatrician and spoke to a nurse about her condition March 28, but investigators said the doctor's office has no record of the woman calling that day.Â
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Christopher Reid sought an emergency custody order Thursday on behalf of the mother's other four children — ages 4, 8, 10 and 11 — who had frequently been staying at the man's residence despite warnings to their mother from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Juvenile Court Judge Reggie Ryder signed the order Friday, granting custody of the four children to DHHS.
The Journal Star is not naming the 2-month-old's parents because neither of them have been arrested or criminally charged in connection with the girl's death.Â
In an email, Erika Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Police Department, confirmed LPD is investigating the child’s death and said the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office ordered an autopsy to determine the cause.
The department's investigation into the girl's death marks at least the second time this year Lincoln Police have criminally investigated the death of a young child.
Prosecutors in March charged a 30-year-old Lincoln woman and her 32-year-old boyfriend with child abuse resulting in the death of the woman's 22-month-old son, who died at an Omaha hospital March 17 following weeks of alleged abuse.