A Homestead father has admitted to fatally injuring his 7-month-old son who was hospitalized with multiple fractures and a brain bleed before succumbing to his injuries two weeks ago, the Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed in an arrest report on Friday.
Police said the investigation began on Oct. 2, when the MDPD’s Homicide Bureau was alerted to a suspected aggravated child abuse case involving the infant, who had been admitted to Baptist Health Homestead Hospital in critical condition.
Investigators were first called to the hospital on the evening of Oct. 1, after they said the child was brought in by his maternal grandmother.
Medical staff found the baby suffering from severe injuries, including multiple fractures and a brain bleed, raising immediate concerns of abuse, according to the report. The child was transported from the home of his father, 23-year-old Daniel Nasir Griffiths, authorities confirmed.
Investigators quickly learned that the child had been in the care of Griffiths, who they said provided inconsistent statements about his whereabouts during the time leading up to the child’s injuries.
Initial interviews with the father revealed conflicting accounts, which further fueled suspicions that the injuries were not accidental, according to investigators.
Over the next few days, police said the child’s condition worsened, and despite medical efforts to save him, Daniel Griffiths Jr. was pronounced dead on Friday, Oct. 4, at 1:45 p.m. by hospital staff.
Authorities said a Miami-Dade County associate medical examiner performed an autopsy on Oct. 7.
The autopsy concluded that Daniel’s cause of death was blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to the report.
As the investigation progressed, detectives said they worked to gather evidence and piece together the events leading to the child’s death.
Police said Griffiths voluntarily agreed to meet with police to provide a statement. During this interview, he knowingly waived his right to legal representation and confessed to critically injuring his son, ultimately leading to his death, the report stated.
According to investigators, Griffiths gave a detailed account of his actions, which he admitted were the direct cause of his son’s severe injuries.
Although the specifics of the father’s statement have not been publicly released, police confirmed that his admissions aligned with the evidence collected throughout the investigation.
Jail records show Griffiths is facing one count of second-degree murder.
As of Friday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond had not yet been determined.
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Source: local10
