FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A man arrested after an infant died at a Fort Smith hospital over the weekend now faces a murder charge, authorities say.
The Fort Smith Police Department said Terrell C. Powell, 32, now faces a charge of first-degree murder in addition to first-degree domestic battery.
Fort Smith Police responded to Mercy Hospital early September 23 on reports that a 2-year-old boy had received “suspicious” injuries to his face and was bleeding from his brain.
He was pronounced dead later in the morning.
A preliminary investigation revealed the boy had been at home with his father, 32-year-old Terrell Powell, when Powell noticed that the boy was not breathing normally, had been crying and seemed lethargic, according to a report from the Fort Smith Police.
Instead of calling emergency medical services to transport the child, Powell carried the boy around the house while he waited for his wife, Amanda Powell, to return home, according to the Fort Smith Police.
Once Amanda Powell arrived at the home, she made the decision to call EMS, which transported both her and the child to the hospital.
Investigators from the Fort Smith Police interviewed Terrell Powell, and at the conclusion of that interview, placed him under arrest.
