Bail set for Bella Vista teen in infant’s death

BENTONVILLE — A 17-year-old faces one charge each of first-degree murder and first-degree domestic battery in connection with the death of his infant son.

Benton County Circuit Judge Tom Smith set bail for Bryce Anderson of Bella Vista at $500,000 cash or corporate surety bond at a hearing Friday. Anderson was then returned to the custody of the county Juvenile Detention Center on his charges, both of which are Class Y felonies.

Chase Henry, a detective with the Bella Vista Police Department, wrote in a probable cause affidavit filed Friday he was made aware of a 4-month-old baby who was unconscious and not breathing at 12:36 p.m. March 4. The baby was located in Bella Vista, and Anderson, his father, was caring for him. Medics took the baby to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers.

Henry said Anderson explained at the hospital the baby was crying, and he knew it was time for the baby to eat around 11:30 a.m. Anderson noticed the baby’s eyes close and body become limp once he completed about 75% of the bottle, which Anderson took as the baby falling asleep with his bottle. However, he started to “freak out” at 12:20 p.m. due to the baby’s lack of response. He called 911 after a phone conversation with his girlfriend’s mother, according to the affidavit.

Anderson said his son vomited with a small amount of blood on a bed after Anderson patted him after the feeding, according to Henry. He said the baby had been admitted into a hospital for a severe case of respiratory syncytial virus around Christmas, the affidavit states.

A nurse told Henry there weren’t any blatant indicators of abuse, including obvious bruising, bleeding or swelling. The incident was determined to be a cardiac event due to the baby going into cardiac arrest, according to the affidavit.

However, Henry said later that day a social worker from Children’s Mercy Kansas City in Missouri — where the baby had since been transported — informed him a CT scan showed the baby had a brain bleed. The baby’s eyes were also fixed and dilated with little to no response. The social worker told Henry that eve- ning hospital staff had given the cause of the baby’s injury as “non-accidental trauma,” and believed this was due to being shaken, according to the affidavit.

Henry said he traveled to Children’s Mercy Kansas City on March 6. Anderson’s mother reportedly told him Anderson was the only person with access to the baby on the morning of March 4 due to her, her husband and Anderson’s girlfriend — the baby’s mother — all working since early that morning. This was corroborated by her husband and the baby’s mother, the affidavit states.

“In conversations with various medical staff, including doctors and nurses, the cause of the injury to the child was deemed non-accidental trauma consistent with shaken-baby syndrome due to the sheering of the sinus cavities on both sides of the brain,” Henry wrote. “There was no coinciding bruising, bleeding or swelling on the exterior of the child indicating a drop or other accident.

“I was also advised that upon their first observations of the child, there were no indications of healing to the injuries sustained, indicating that the injuries took place in close proximity to the time that the cardiac event transpired and medics were called.”

Other injuries medical staff found for the baby that indicated non-accidental trauma included blood and scarring behind both eyes, another bleed in the lower part of his spine and fractures at the base of both femurs, according to Henry. The baby died at 2:41 p.m. Sunday from his injuries.

Anderson was brought into the Juvenile Detention Center on Wednesday, according to a trial court administrator. His arraignment is set for 8 a.m. May 13 before Circuit Judge Brad Karren, where he will be tried as an adult.

A Class Y felony is punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in prison.

A person who was younger than 18 years old at the time he or she committed first-degree murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment is eligible for parole or post-release supervision after serving at least 25 years unless he or she is eligible at an earlier date by law, according to a court document filed in the case Friday.