A 10-month-old baby has died in South Carolina after his babysitter left with his care inflicted “extensive head and body injuries.”
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office confirmed in a news release that Jacob Ray Wescott was sentenced on February 9 to serve 33 years in prison after he was convicted of homicide by child abuse.
Prosecutors said that the Kershaw County fire department responded to Wescott’s home on March 9, 2020, after they received a report that the baby — whose name was Jack — stopped breathing. Paramedics then rushed the boy to a local hospital, and he was later transferred to a children’s hospital for additional treatment.
“Medical professionals determined the child sustained extensive head and body injuries, including a brain bleed and multiple bruises,” prosecutors said in the news release.
The baby ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was taken off life support two days later on March 11, 2020. An autopsy was performed, and it was determined that the boy died from injuries that were consistent with abusive head trauma.
The term was previously known as shaken baby syndrome, which the Mayo Clinic describes as “a serious brain injury that results from forcefully shaking an infant or a toddler.”
While speaking to investigators, Wescott said he fed the boy formula before the two fell asleep for about 90 minutes. He said that the baby suddenly began “spazzing out” and he stopped breathing, according to WACH. A witness in the home then called 911.
The outlet added that there were two other minors inside of the home at the time of the incident.
An investigation into the child’s death was launched, and detectives concluded that the trauma was not caused by an accident. Instead, authorities came to believe that Wescott allegedly intended to hurt the baby.
In the press release, prosecutors said that the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the help of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Child Fatality Unit.
Despite confirming the baby’s death, authorities have not shared what events led up to the incident. It’s also not currently clear how Wescott was connected to the boy’s family other than being hired as a babysitter.
“Our victim’s advocate has been in contact with the mother of the child and all support we have available to us will be offered to her or has already been offered to her. We’re just trying to help the family along the way,” Sheriff Lee Boan said at the time of Wescott’s arrest.
Following the baby’s death, a family friend started a GoFundMe page to help out financially, raising little more than $2,000 as of this writing. In the post, the friend explained that the baby was being cremated.
“Baby Jack’s mother has the heartbreaking task of signing the paperwork for his cremation,” the post read. “She posted earlier that she should be planning his 1st birthday party, not his funeral. Just so sad and terribly unfair this tragedy.”
The post continued, “His Momma Christine Peppel is a friend of mine, and it breaks my heart to see this family go through such a terrible tragedy. Any donation is appreciated, please share this fundraiser. Thank you so much for helping his heartbroken family lay this beautiful baby to rest.”
