On September 8, 2022, nine-month-old Nai'arii Kaczmarek was found unresponsive at a residence on the 400 block of East 5th Street in Mount Vernon, Indiana. Her father, Devin Morrison, 26, claimed he had slipped on a liquid substance while carrying the baby and fell, causing her to hit her head. The child was transported to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville, where she died from her injuries. An autopsy revealed that Nai'arii died from acute subdural hemorrhage due to abusive head trauma with multiple skull fractures. Medical personnel determined her injuries were inconsistent with Morrison's account of a fall and were suspect for abuse. Additionally, healing rib fractures estimated to be approximately two weeks old were discovered, indicating prior abuse. Morrison was arrested on September 15 and charged with neglect of a dependent causing death, a Level 1 felony. He had multiple prior felony convictions on drug and robbery charges and a pending neglect charge from December 2021.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The vital records document (INME_22_Kaczmarek.pdf) lists the cause of death as "ACUTE SUBDURAL HEMORRHAGE; ABUSIVE HEAD TRAUMA" and the manner of death as homicide. The tristatehomepage.com article states medical staff reported the head trauma was "inconsistent with a fall as described by Morrison and was reported by medical staff as suspect for abuse." The child also had "healing rib fractures" from approximately two weeks prior. Multiple skull fractures and the abusive head trauma designation confirm inflicted injury.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
The vital records document (INME_22_Kaczmarek.pdf) explicitly lists "ABUSIVE HEAD TRAUMA" as part of the cause of death: "ACUTE SUBDURAL HEMORRHAGE; ABUSIVE HEAD TRAUMA."
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Multiple sources identify Devin Morrison as the child's father. The courierpress.com article states "Mount Vernon father arrested" and "following the death of his daughter." The tristatehomepage.com article states "Naiarii Kaczmarek's father, Devin Morrison." Morrison was charged with neglect of a dependent causing death in connection with the child's fatal injuries.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The 14news.com article states: "Records show he has a prior charge of neglect from December 2021. That case is still pending." This prior neglect charge, filed approximately one month after the child's birth (DOB 11/11/2021), strongly implies prior child protection involvement. Additionally, the tristatehomepage.com article reports the maternal grandmother "said Morrison was not allowed to be around the other children in the home," suggesting known prior concerns about Morrison's behavior around children.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Multiple sources confirm the arrest and charging. The courierpress.com article states: "Devin Morrison, 26, has been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony." The tristatehomepage.com article confirms: "Devin Morrison, 26, of Mt. Vernon, was arrested at his residence without incident... Morrison was charged with Neglect of a Dependent Causing Death."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The courierpress.com article explicitly states that "Morrison has multiple prior felony convictions on drug and robbery charges." Additionally, the 14news.com article reports: "Records show he has a prior charge of neglect from December 2021. That case is still pending." Both of these predate the current fatal incident in September 2022.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The courierpress.com article states that "Morrison has multiple prior felony convictions on drug and robbery charges." Prior felony drug convictions imply substance use by the caregiver, though the text does not explicitly describe substance abuse in the context of this child's care.
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the text. First, Morrison had a prior pending neglect charge from December 2021 (per 14news.com: "Records show he has a prior charge of neglect from December 2021. That case is still pending"), meaning he was awaiting trial on a neglect charge at the time the child died. Second, the maternal grandmother, Belinda Nichols-Cox, told authorities that "Morrison was not allowed to be around the other children in the home" (tristatehomepage.com), suggesting known family-level concerns about Morrison's behavior around children that did not prevent the child from being left in his care. Third, the child had healing rib fractures estimated to be about two weeks old, indicating a pattern of prior abuse that went undetected. These details together suggest potential systemic failures in preventing the child's death despite existing warning signs.
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