Suspect in Cañon City baby’s death admits to throwing him, biting him, treating him like a dog
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Arrest documents obtained by 13 Investigates reveal what the suspect in a child abuse case told investigators, including how he'd "discipline" the 10-month-old boy.
Warning, the details in the affidavit are graphic and might be upsetting to some.
Viewer discretion is advised.
On Sunday, May 21, detectives responded to the Motel 6 along Fremont Dr. at 7:56 a.m. A sergeant told investigators a 10-month-old boy was found unresponsive in a room and was being taken to a hospital. The affidavit noted the parents of the child were young and the room was "filthy."
While the baby, identified as 10-month-old Edward Hayes, was being taken to a hospital, detectives spoke with the mother and her boyfriend, 21-year-old William Jacobs.
The mother, whose name has not been released, said Edward was sick and was given medicine but was "fine" that morning. When Jacobs got back to the room from walking the dog, she said she left to work leaving Edward alone with Jacobs.
According to the affidavit, Jacobs claimed he was changing Edward's diaper when he "went stiff and began making gargling noises." Jacobs said he ran downstairs and told the mother that Edward was acting strange and that they needed to take him to the emergency room.
Initially, Jacobs said he shook and slapped Edward on the back to get him to breathe. While at the hospital, Jacobs admitted he was "kinda rough" while trying to get Edward to breathe. However, in a later interview, Jacobs changed his story saying he was not rough with the baby.
The affidavit states Jacobs nor the mother called 911. The actual reporting part was a nurse in a neighboring room who overheard what was happening and went to help. That woman told investigators that Jacobs was "being too rough" with Edward and so she took over CPR and called 911.
Investigators state when they first arrived at the scene, Jacobs refused to identify himself. Officers only learned his name after finding his state ID.
After finding out Jacobs was the last person to be alone with Edward, the detective asked to speak with him in more detail. At this point, the affidavit states Jacobs "immediately turned around, put his hands behind his back, and stated 'I [explicit] knew it, just take me to jail.'"
The detective explained he wasn't under arrest, she just wanted to get to the bottom of all this. He was then taken to an interview room and advised of his Miranda Rights.
During this interview, the affidavit states Jacobs admitted to biting Edward on the arm "while playing with him" and hitting Edward's head on a door frame while trying to make him throw up a few days earlier.
According to the affidavit, Jacobs claimed the mother left Edward alone in the room for 30 minutes when she left for work before Jacobs got back. He claimed he "wouldn't have had time to injure Edward "and denied that the mother didn't leave the room until he got back.
The detective noted Jacobs's "story was continually changing throughout the interview" and that throughout the entire contact with him, Jacobs was "being very anxious, and self-soothing such as hugging himself and rocking back and forth." She also noted that Jacobs kept stating he was "scared that he was going to be 'pinned' with this and scared he'd be in trouble."
The affidavit also notes that during the entire interview, Jacobs never asked about Edward or how he was doing. Another investigator noted there was no "sort of emotional reaction" from Jacobs that was observed.
When asked about when Jacobs would get frustrated with the baby, Jacobs "demonstrated grabbing [Edward's] cheeks with both hands and made a distinctive shaking motion while explaining he'd tell [Edward] to stop."
Jacobs also explained that he disciplined Edward in the same way he'd disciplined his dog and "demonstrated throwing his dog, but used an infant-sized doll to demonstrate lightly throwing [Edward] onto the bed."
During the interview, the affidavit states Jacobs said he "wasn't a fan" of Edward's father. He claimed Edward's father would tell investigators that his girlfriend "was a bad mother."
Jacobs was arrested and was initially facing a Felony Child Abuse charge.
Jacobs is still being held without bond and the detectives on the case will be filing amended charges for him through the District Attorney's Office.
