Infant dies days after being taken to Lubbock hospital for 'non-accidental injury'

A couple who reportedly fled from Washington State to Lubbock to avoid an investigation of neglect face felony child abuse charges after reportedly fatally injuring their 5-month-old son.

Casey Harbison, 23, and Kristal Morse, 22, were booked Saturday into the Lubbock County Detention Center after reportedly admitting to punching their child and smothering him with a blanket, according to a probable cause affidavit.

While Morse and Harbison were in jail, officials confirmed the child died late Monday night.

A criminal complaint states Morse is accused of causing serious bodily injury to her child by striking him with her hand, which is being categorized as a deadly weapon. Meanwhile, a criminal complaint against Harbison accuses him of striking the child with a hard object or his hand and impeding the child's airway with his hand or a soft object.

Harbison and Morse each face a count of aggravated assault of a family member with a weapon causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison.

Morse's mother, 42-year-old Tiffany Whalen, was also arrested in connection with the investigation. She faces a count of injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury.

Paul Zimmerman, a spokesman with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said the agency is investigating the child's death alongside law enforcement.

All three remain held at the Lubbock County Jail. Harbison and Morse's bonds are set at $250,000 each. Whalen's bond is set at $200,000.

Investigating child abuse

The charges stem from a Lubbock police Major Crimes Unit investigation that began May 8 after patrol officers were dispatched to Covenant Children's where an infant was being treated for a brain bleed and skull fractures -- injuries that a child abuse specialist said were consistent with non-accidental injury.

Hospital staff also noted the child "exhibited very labored breathing."

Detectives were later called and interviewed Harbison, Morse and Whalen separately.

Investigators learned that Morse and Harbison moved in February to Lubbock from Washington State, where they were under investigation by Child Services there for neglect, the affidavit states.

Morse reportedly said her son was born a month premature and was using a feeding tube, which she removed before moving to Lubbock, the affidavit states.

The couple were living in Whalen's home, which investigators described as "extremely dirty," littered with dog feces and smelled of cat urine and smoke.

Morse reportedly said her son slept in a crib padded with pillows instead of a mattress.

Harbison reportedly said it was his day off the day before and he was taking care of the child most of the day while Morse slept.

He said the baby was fine but fussy most of the day because he believed he was constipated.

Harbison said in the earlier morning hours of May 8, he and Morse went to a laundry mat and left the child with Whalen.

They returned an hour later and the boy was asleep.

At noon that day, he changed the baby's diaper, went back to sleep and woke up nearly two hours later to drive Whalen to work.

When he returned he checked on the child and found him "limp and cold," and his eyes appeared to "roll back."

Harbison said he blew small breaths into his son's mouth, woke up Morse and drove to the hospital.

Morse and Harbison reportedly initially told investigators they didn't know how the child was injured.

Then Morse initially said she dropped her phone on the child twice a few weeks before. Harbison initially said he accidentally pushed the child off their bed.

She reportedly denied injuring the child on purpose, saying she becomes angry when she is frustrated and overwhelmed and "wants to punch things."

The affidavit states the boy suffered brain bleeds and a skull fracture in the back of his head.

"These incidents were consistent with non-accidental trauma," the affidavit states. "Due to respiratory failure, (the boy) was intubated and sent to surgery to relieve pressure in the brain."

A child abuse specialist who reportedly spoke with Morse told investigators Morse showed her a picture of the child from five days before.

The specialist reportedly saw on the picture injuries on the infant that appeared to be signs of petechiae, the bursting of blood vessels often caused by strangulation or suffocation.

Detectives interviewed Harbison again. This time, he asked to write down his statements and reportedly admitted to suffocating his child with a blanket.

"It was an accident," he wrote in his statement. "I never wanted to hurt him. There will be no next time regardless."

Harbison also wrote that the baby "had a blanket over his head" and "I think think I suffocated him."

Harbison wrote he was tired and was running on an hour of sleep.

"I think I put the blanket on my sweet boy, this is my fault," he wrote.

Meanwhile, Morse failed a lie detector test and reportedly admitted to punching the boy.

Morse reportedly told investigators after the test that she reportedly saw Harbison put a blanket on the boy's face to stop him from crying on two occasions.

She said her mother, Whalen, was present with he smothered the child.

Morse also reportedly admitted to punching her infant son in the back of his head where she believed doctors found the skull fracture.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock parents reportedly admit to beating, smothering baby who died