Caretaking dad accused of homicide in heat stroke death of 5-month-old son (Greene County, Indiana)

Caretaking dad JOHN A. JEFFERS has been accused of homicide in the heat stroke death of his 5-month-old son. It seems that being buzzed out on pot might have been a contributing factor. Authorities say the house was filthy--not clear who they will blame for that. According to one of the kids, Daddy liked to spend most of his time in the bedroom playing video games. As is usually the case with these incidents, Mom was at work. Guess she should have cloned herself so she could both work and stay home and do childcare/housework, since Daddy was apparently interested in neither.

http://gcdailyworld.com/story/1555973.html

Forensic pathologist calls baby's death a homicide caused by heat stroke due to father's neglect
Monday, July 20, 2009
By Nick Schneider, Assistant Editor

Extreme heat inside a closed, non-ventilated rural Greene County home has been alleged to be the cause of death of a five-month-old child in late June.

Police allege the boy's father is responsible for causing the heat stroke that killed his son and have filed a felony criminal charge against him.

A rural Bloomfield man was arrested late Monday morning and charged in connection with the death of his infant son.

John A. Jeffers, 24, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:58 a.m. -- charged in a warrant with neglect of a dependent causing death, a class A felony; and possession of marijuana, a class A misdemeanor.

Jeffers is being held on $40,000 cash bond with no 10 percent allowed.

The charges were filed late Friday afternoon and approved Monday morning by Greene Circuit Judge Erik Allen.

The charges are linked to the June 26 death of his son, Micheal E.R. Jeffers at his residence west of Koleen.

The criminal charge comes following an investigation into the infant boy's death by the Greene County Sheriff's Department in cooperation with the Greene County Office of Child Protective Services (CPS) and the Greene County Coroner's office.

Coroner Brian Gainey told the Greene County Daily World that the baby's death case was turned over to the county sheriff's department and an autopsy was performed June 27.

Micheal Jeffers was buried July 3 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the community of Hall, located in Morgan County.

In a probable cause affidavit filed with the court, lead investigator GCSD Det. George Dallaire said the young boy's death is being traced to extreme heat conditions in his home.

Det. Dallaire wrote in his seven-page probable cause affidavit that the pathologist, who conducted an autopsy on the young boy, told him that "heat stroke causes the brain to get too hot and the overheating causes the brain to shut down."

Heat stroke mainly affects the central nervous system.

"The autopsy report from Dr. Kohr, a forensic pathologist, indicated Micheal Jeffers' manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was heat stroke," Dallaire wrote.

"Dr. Kohr said the petechial hemorrhage seen in Micheal Jeffers' heart and lungs also support a severe heat injury causing Micheal's death," according to Dallaire's probable cause affidavit.

The autopsy also noted contusions to the infant's left leg and he had an open sore on his buttocks.
Det. Dallaire said officers responded to a 911 call to the Jeffers residence at 7:18 p.m. on June 26.
The young boy, who was born pre-mature and spent more than three months at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis after his birth but suffered no serious medical complications, was found in the living room on a couch cushion.

He was not breathing.

Three other children were present when Deputy John Fowler entered the residence.

Det. Dallaire said the room where the baby's body was found was very warm.

"The living room Micheal was found in did not have an open window or a fan. The home did not have any form of air-conditioning. The thermostat on the living room wall indicated the room temperature was 87 degrees," Dallaire wrote. "I did not think the thermostat was accurate. It felt hotter and the air was very humid. Heat and humidity was very bad in the home. My shirt was soaked with sweat when I completed this examination. The outside air was approximately 90 degrees and the interior of this residence felt hotter than the outside air."

The detective noted in his affidavit that the boy was discovered by his father in a car seat that was in the living room. The father and mother both told police that the baby wanted to be in the car seat rather than a bed, according to court records.

Dallaire alleges that the boy being placed in the car seat in the hot, closed room caused his death.
"Dr. Kohr said had Micheal Jeffers parents opened windows and had a fan blowing air in the room, or on Micheal, he would not have suffered the heat stroke which resulted in his death," Dallaire wrote.

Three fans were found by authorities in the house -- none were in the living room where the baby was placed.

The boy's mother, Ella Jeffers, had been at work in Bloomington since 7:30 a.m., John Jeffers told police.

The father told Dallaire that he gave the infant boy a bottle about 6:30 p.m. After giving him a bottle, the father and the three other children went into the bedroom to watch a movie on the television.

About 45-60 minutes later he went to check on Micheal. The elder Jacobs said the boy had finished the bottle so he removed it from his mouth.

He told Dallaire that some time passed -- about another 45 to 60 minutes -- and he sent his 9-year-old step-son to check on the small child.

The 9-year-old returned to the bedroom and told his step-father that Micheal "did not look right ... and his face was changing color."

The father couldn't find a pulse and said the baby was "turning blue."

The father then removed the baby from the car seat and placed him on a couch cushion, then he went to a neighbor's house to call for help.

Dallaire pointed out in his probable cause that the timeline doesn't coincide with the 911 call to the sheriff's department.

Det. Dallaire also described the condition inside the Jeffers' home. He said an enclosed porch area was covered with debris and trash.

"As I entered the kitchen from the porch, I noticed trash on the floor and the floor was dirty. A diaper that appeared to be dirty was lying on the stove top with loose papers. The kitchen sink had several feeding tubes lying in the sink basin and ants were walking in the sink basin. The ice dispenser opening on the refrigerator was filled with dirty water and thin strips of red wrapping of bologna slices. The dispenser also had mold growing in it. The refrigerator had almost no food inside and there appeared to be very little food in the house, other than canned baby formula," he wrote.

The 9-year-old boy told police that his step-father liked to spend most of his time inside the bedroom playing video games.

The misdemeanor drug charge against John Jeffers came when police found a pair of hemostats with a burnt end of marijuana in the bedroom where the father and three children were watching a movie on the television. A small tin box containing marijuana residue and stems was found under a bed mattress. A second set of hemostats was found in a cookie jar that contained marijuana residue in the room where a baby crib was located, according to the probable cause affidavit.

"John and Ella Jeffers both said they smoked marijuana when I asked," Dallaire wrote. "John and Ella both said it had been three days since they last smoked marijuana."

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw said he had no comment on the criminal filed charges against the elder Jeffers.