Bella Vista teen charged with murder in death of four-month-old son
BELLA VISTA, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A teenager is accused of murder in the death of his four-month-old son, according to court documents.
Bryce Alijha Anderson, 17, of Bella Vista is accused of first-degree murder and first-degree domestic battery.
According to an affidavit filed in Benton County, police were made aware of a four-month-old baby who was unconscious and not breathing on March 4.
The baby was being cared for by Anderson at the time of the incident.
The child was transported to Mercy Rogers after showing vital signs, the affidavit said.
The Bella Vista Police Department said in the affidavit that Anderson admitted to being alone with the child at the time of the incident.
According to Anderson, he fed the child a bottle at around 11:30 a.m. The baby’s eyes closed and his body became limp.
He laid the baby down after assuming that he was asleep. Anderson said that around an hour later, the child was still unresponsive and he called 911, according to the document.
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After being told that the child would need to be transported to another hospital for further care, Anderson told police that while the child was lying down, he vomited and there was a small amount of blood in the vomit.
Nurses at Mercy Rogers told police that there were no blatant indicators of abuse, and it was determined that the child went into cardiac arrest, according to the affidavit.
A social worker with Children’s Mercy in Kansas City told police that a CT scan revealed the child had a brain bleed. The cause of injury was ruled as “non-accidental trauma” and believed to be a result of the child being shaken, the affidavit said.
According to a doctor from Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the injury took place no more than four hours before the cardiac arrest.
Police spoke with the child’s paternal grandmother and the child’s mother. They both confirmed that before leaving for work on the morning of March 4, the child appeared healthy.
The child died on April 7 from his injuries.
“Based on evidence gathered in this case, witness statements and the analyses offered by the medical professionals, Bryce was the only person with access to the child at the time of the injuries. Bryce himself stated that he was alone with the child for the duration of time in which the window for injuries occurred,” according to the affidavit.
Anderson is set to appear in court on May 13 and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
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