A man is facing several criminal charges, including first-degree reckless homicide of a child, due to a doctor's suspicions, the autopsy and several witness accounts of instances of previous child abuse, as reported by the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Along with the homicide charge, D.V., 29, is also facing two counts of child abuse and an unrelated theft charge. On December 9, in Brown County Circuit Court, D.V.'s bond was set at $250,000. His initial appearance has been scheduled for December 21.
The child, L.M.T., was 13 months old at the time of her death on August 20.
The criminal complaint states that on August 19 L.M.T. was taken to Green Bay's St. Vincent Hospital as she was not breathing, suffered head trauma and had a skull fracture. Doctors noted that the child had numerous bruises – that they determined were from blows inflicted within 12 hours of her arrival in the hospital – and she was connected to life support in the intensive care unit.
On August 20 L.M.T. was removed from all life support measures and she succumbed to her injuries that same day.
According to the complaint, doctors were told that L.M.T. had fallen from her bed on August 18. Doctors noted, however, that the injuries to L.M.T. were not consistent with a fall and the doctors grew suspicious.
An autopsy report showed that L.M.T. died due to head trauma.
L.V. reported that L.M.T. woke him on August 19, early, and crying. He allegedly drew a blanket over the child's eyes, claiming that this calmed her and helped her to sleep, and put her back in her bed.
Later that morning he noticed that the child felt clammy. Her mother – the couple lived together – screamed when she saw her baby and performed CPR as they made their way to the hospital.
Witnesses have since reported to police earlier instances of abuse: One man saw L.V. choking the baby less than two weeks before August 19, another man reported seeing L.V. slap the child and laugh, a woman reported seeing a bruise on the girl's face on August 18, a neighbor claimed to have witnessed hearing the child cry up to three hours a day – and hearing a man's voice "mocking it" in the background.
L.V. allegedly employed L.M.T.'s mother, along with two other women, as prostitutes and was often at home with the child while her mother worked. One witness reported that the abuse occurred when the mother was not in the home.
On September 16 a search warrant for L.V. and the child's mother was issued. Due to extradition proceedings, per Green Bay police Captain J.R., it took months to transfer L.V. to Brown County.
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