1-Year-Old Washington Toddler Suffers Multiple Skull Fractures After Mother's Boyfriend Abuses Him, Child Dead

A man in Yakima, Washington, was arrested Monday (April 27) in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s toddler son.

According to local reports, police responded to a home in the wee hours of Monday after receiving a report stating that a toddler was not breathing. When the officers arrived at the home, they found the accused performing CPR on the 1-year-old boy. The officers took over the lifesaving efforts before rushing him to a local hospital. The toddler was then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where the boy died the same night.

An autopsy conducted by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that the toddler, Alexander Lynch, died from blunt force trauma to the head. The boy had also suffered multiple skull fractures. Lynch’s death was ruled as homicide.

After questioning the toddler’s mother and her boyfriend, the only two people who were at home when the officers arrived, the accused was taken into custody. The 27-year-old unidentified man, who faces a second-degree murder charge, was being held at the Yakima County jail. Investigation into the case was ongoing.

In a similar incident earlier this month, a Pennsylvania toddler died after he was allegedly beaten by his mother's boyfriend. The child was hospitalized after he was found unresponsive at a home. He succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Investigation revealed that the toddler’s mother’s boyfriend, identified as Keith Lilly Jr., had brutally attacked the child, leaving the toddler with a fractured skull along with injuries to the mouth and eyes. Medical tests confirmed that the toddler was abused on more than one occasion. Following this, the accused was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.

In another incident this month, an Indiana man was charged with murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s son. Police responded to a home and pronounced the five-year-old boy dead. The officers noticed bruising and bite marks on the boy’s body. An autopsy revealed that he died from blunt force trauma to his torso and head. Following this, Michael J. Tunstall, 26, was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated battery.