6-month-old baby dies in Iowa, man accused of murder and child endangerment

An Iowa man has been charged with murder in the death of a 6-month-old baby, police said.

Nicholas Edward Cox, 22, was charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

On March 2, Iowa Falls Police received a 911 call requesting assistance in the 500 block of Washington Avenue in Iowa Falls, Iowa, according to the department.

When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive 6-month-old baby boy.

Efforts to resuscitate the baby were unsuccessful. He was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the department.

An autopsy determined he had “suffered injuries at the hands of another person,” and the death was declared a homicide, according to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

The examiner’s office said the boy died from blunt force trauma to the neck and spinal column and asphyxiation, KCRG reported.

Hemorrhaging of the eye was present, along with “bruises and wounds that were in the process of healing at the time,” according to KCRG.

A criminal complaint obtained by KCRG said that Cox woke up twice in the early morning hours of March 2 to the boy crying, KCRG reported.

He fed him a bottle and put him back to bed in the crib on the first occasion, and then laid with him on the couch and fell asleep, according to KCRG.

When Cox’s alarm went off in the morning, he claimed he found the child unresponsive, KCRG reported.

In an interview with law enforcement, Cox said he had treated the boy too roughly while trying to get him to regain consciousness, including shaking him and gripping and turning his head side to side too rapidly, according to KCRG.

Cox was arrested and is being held at the Hardin County Jail.