Police say it is likely that dad JOSEPH MCELHENY will be charged in the death of his 4-month-old daughter two weeks ago. It appears the baby suffered repeated abuse--a broken leg, other internal injuries--over the course of her short life. The coroner has ruled her death a homicide. Given that Dad has a home-based business, it sounds like he played a major caretaker role.
http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/doc4bfca0b7dded0043699860.txt
Arrest or indictment likely in baby death case
Published: Wednesday, May 26, 2010
By Dave Canfield
The Record
HOOSICK FALLS — Police continue to investigate Joseph McElheny in connection with death of his 4-month-old daughter two weeks ago, and law enforcement sources say an arrest or indictment against him is likely to come — potentially on a charge of murder.
While no charges have yet been filed, State Police and Hoosick Falls Police believe Ina Jane McElheny suffered repeated abuse at the hands of her father, with one particular incident leading to her death, according to police sources.
“That baby was suffering quite a bit,” one official said.
The girl had sustained a broken leg and several internal injuries before medics responded to an emergency call around 1 a.m. on May 12. The death was later ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation,” village Police Chief Robert Ashe said. A State Police spokeswoman voiced similar comments.
Inquiries to McElheny, 30, through the Hoosick Falls computer-oriented business he operates out of a home on River Street, Wolf Pack Media Technology Solutions, were directed to his lawyers. Public Defender Jerome Frost said it was too early to comment on the case in any specifics.
“It’s one thing to say someone is guilty of something,” he said. “It’s another thing to prove it.”
He said police will “do what they think they should do,” as will McElheny’s defense team.
“That doesn’t mean my client did anything. He’s entitled to a presumption of innocence, and as far as I know he’s innocent,” Frost said.
Rensselaer County District Attorney Richard McNally had no comment on any possible forthcoming grand jury action. Those proceedings, during which the grand jury hears testimony and decides whether there is enough evidence to substantiate a criminal indictment, are conducted in relative secrecy.
Police are basing their case on medical evidence, and several tests have been conducted over the course of the ongoing investigation. McElheny did not indicate guilt when questioned by police, a source said.
A page that appears to have been created by McElheny on the social networking site MySpace indicates he attended high school in Lockport, near Niagara Falls. He has not logged into the page in nearly three years; it lists his place of residence as Bennington, Vt.
The website for his company, www.wpmts.com, has a memorial dedicated to the infant. A slew of photos posted to online photo albums by Joseph McElheny depict the big blue-eyed girl from her birth until late April.
Text at the start of a 13-minute video refers to the girl as “our perfect child.”
Ina was buried in Kansas, where the family of her mother Melinda resides, police said.