The one-day-old baby was found in medical distress in a private room at Reading Hospital on May 2, authorities said. He died a day later at Hershey Medical Center.
HERSHEY, Pa. — A Reading couple has been charged with the murder of their newborn infant earlier this month.
Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams on Tuesday announced the arrests of Kevin Canaan, 29, and Yeniffer Tavarez-Cepeda, 25, in connection to the death of their one-day-old infant son, who was born on May 2 and Tower Health Reading Hospital.
According to Adams, the baby appeared to be healthy when he was delivered earlier in the day on May 2. But the infant was unexpectedly found to be in “medical distress” in a private patient recovery room in the hospital’s maternity ward later in the day.
The baby was flown to Hershey Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries on May 3.
Medical staff at Hershey Medical Center told investigators that the infant’s injuries “were consistent with physical abuse and were not a result of the birthing process,” Adams said in a press release following the couple’s arrest.
An autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne K. Ross at the Dauphin County Forensic Center on May 5 determined the baby sustained “a multitude of internal injuries,” according to Ross. The infant’s cause of death was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
A joint investigation into the baby’s death was conducted by the Berks County District Attorney’s Detectives and the West Reading Police Department. The investigation included interviews with the defendants and numerous healthcare professionals, as well as the findings of medical professionals, according to Adams.
The investigation revealed that at the time when these injuries were inflicted upon the infant, he was under the supervision of the two defendants inside a private room within the maternity ward of the Tower Health Reading Hospital. Adams said.
Repeated wellness checks of the infant by medical personnel allowed investigators to conclude that said injuries were inflicted within a short, well documented timeframe, according to Adams.
In addition, the district attorney said, the investigation determined that both defendants observed the infant to be in medical distress yet failed to alert any of the hospital staff.
On Tuesday, both suspects were charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of children, according to Adams. They were taken into custody in Reading by members of the Berks County Sheriffs Warrant Division, United States Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force, the West Reading Police Department, and the Berks County Detectives.
Both suspects were processed and arraigned at the Berks County Courthouse, according to Adams.