Court: Mother left hurt 1-year-old alone to die

Wanisha F. Smith, 33, of Dayton faces involuntary manslaughter and child endangering charges in the death of her son.

A Dayton woman facing charges after her 1-year-old son was found dead in an apartment earlier this week is accused of leaving him alone and not getting him medical attention after injuring him, according to court documents.

Wanisha F. Smith, 33, was charged Thursday with involuntary manslaughter and child endangering.

During an interview with police, Smith admitted that on or around May 16, she injured her son, Darius Hall Jr., by “bumping his head into a chair and rendering him unconscious and unresponsive,” read Dayton Municipal Court documents.

“She stated although she knew he was injured, she never attempted to provide medical care for him,” the affidavit read. “She stated she then left him alone ... knowing doing so would cause him to die.”

On Tuesday, Dayton police responded to Smith’s apartment in the 1800 block of North James

H. McGee Boulevard after neighbors reported they hadn’t seen Smith recently.

“Their concern was compounded due to a strange odor coming from the apartment,” Lt. Jason Hall said. “Once inside, (Dayton) firefighters located the remains of a small child who had clearly been deceased for some time.”

A woman who called 911 told dispatchers there was a bad smell coming from the apartment.

“I think there’s somebody over there that’s deceased,” she said.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is working to determine the child’s cause of death.

Police found Smith with the help of citizens and arrested her in the 3200 block on Amanda Drive in Trotwood.

She was booked on a preliminary murder charge before she was formally charged on Thursday with involuntary manslaughter and child endangering.

Detectives confirmed that her other children, who do not live with her, were safe, Hall said.

Montgomery County Children Services said they did not have an open investigation connected to Smith or her son.

Smith is being held on a $1 million bond in the Montgomery County Jail.