READING, Pa. – A man and woman are charged with criminal homicide in the death of their one-day-old son at Reading Hospital.
Police allege that 28-year-old Kevin Canaan of Reading and 25-year-old Yeniffer Tavarez-Cepeda of New York City killed the newborn.
“These parents, or one parent or both parents, injured this baby to a degree which cost this baby its life and it is shocking,” said Berks County District Attorney John Adams.
West Reading Police say they were called to Reading Hospital on Saturday, May 2nd for a newborn in a private patient recovery room that was having a medical issue.
28-year-old Kevin Canaan of Reading
Berks County Sheriff’s Office
Hospital staff told investigators the birth occurred without issue and that numerous wellness checks were conducted throughout the morning. During those checks, the child showed no signs of medical distress, witnesses said.
According to court documents, a hospital staff member allegedly became concerned about Canaan’s behavior throughout the morning and requested a social worker and security to respond to the room.
When a check was conducted on the child a short time later, the newborn appeared pale and limp and was breathing loudly. Immediate life-saving measures were undertaken.
The newborn was eventually flown to Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Dauphin County where he died the following day.
25-year-old Yeniffer Tavarez-Cepeda of New York City
Berks County Sheriff’s Office
Police say they were able to determine that in the 25-minute period between when the newborn was last checked on and when the social worker and a doctor arrived, Canaan and Tavarez-Cepeda were the only ones inside the hospital room with the victim.
Both Tavarez-Cepeda and Canaan allegedly told police they observed the newborn to be in distress prior to the doctor and social worker’s arrival, but that they did not alert hospital staff to the child’s condition.
A doctor at Penn State Hershey Medical Center told police the victim suffered injuries to his liver, spleen as well as internal bleeding, and that they were not caused by the birthing process and were consistent with child abuse.
An autopsy later determined the child died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries and the death was ruled a homicide.
“It’s unfathomable, it’s just not imaginable, that the parents of a newborn… this baby was not even a day old and this baby suffered from blunt force trauma,” added DA John Adams
Canaan and Tavarez-Cepeda are charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. Online court records list the pair as in custody at Berks County Jail after being denied bail.