On May 23, 2023, two-month-old Ozzy Dennis McCutchen's mother called 911 after returning home to find her infant son unresponsive, limp, and turning blue while in the care of his father, Hunter McCutchen, 27, in Red Wing, Minnesota. The baby was transported to the emergency room and then airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, where medical imaging revealed multiple bilateral rib fractures in various stages of healing, a healing clavicular fracture, and multiple areas of brain bleeding consistent with abusive head trauma (shaken baby syndrome), as well as an anoxic brain injury. Ozzy died on May 25, 2023. The mother later recorded a conversation in which the father admitted to shaking the baby and putting his hand over his mouth. The father had a documented history of domestic violence against the mother and prior partners, daily marijuana use, and frequent alcohol consumption, but the family had no prior child protection involvement. Hunter McCutchen was initially charged with manslaughter and child endangerment, and a Goodhue County grand jury later indicted him on 1st-degree murder charges, bringing the total to 13 charges.
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)
Multiple sources describe inflicted injuries. The Safe Passage report states the father "admitted to shaking Ozzy and putting his hand over his mouth." The vital records document lists the injury description as "Assaulted By Another Individual" with cause of death "Multiple Injuries." Medical imaging revealed "multiple bilateral rib fractures in various stages of healing as well as a healing clavicular fracture" per the Safe Passage report.
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 Safe Passage report states: "The doctor determined that Ozzy was a victim of Abusive Head Trauma, formerly Shaken Baby Syndrome." The CBS News article similarly reports that "he was a victim of abusive head trauma, which is injury to a baby that involves shaking or impact beyond normal care." The Bring Me The News article also states "The child abuse pediatrician determined the boy was a victim of shaken baby syndrome."
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?
The Safe Passage report identifies the "Adult Perpetrator: Father." The Bring Me The News article headline reads "Red Wing man indicted for murder of 2-month-old son," confirming the perpetrator Hunter McCutchen is the biological father. The child shares the surname McCutchen.
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)?
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?
Hunter McCutchen was charged and arrested. The CBS News article states he "is charged with two counts of first-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree manslaughter, and one count of child endangerment" and "is in custody at Goodhue County Jail." The Bring Me The News article reports he was later "indicted on 1st-degree murder charges" by a grand jury, bringing his total to 13 charges.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple sources reference domestic violence by the father. The Safe Passage report states: "his father had multiple domestic violence cases against his mother and previous partners." The CBS News article reports the mother said McCutchen "had been violent towards her in the past resulting in criminal domestic assault charges against him." The Bring Me The News article also references "McCutchen's history of domestic violence towards her."
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 father had prior criminal history predating this incident. The Safe Passage report states: "his father had multiple domestic violence cases against his mother and previous partners." The CBS News article specifies the father "had been violent towards her in the past resulting in criminal domestic assault charges against him." These domestic violence cases and criminal charges predate the fatal incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The CBS News article reports the mother's statements about the father: "she'd considered leaving McCutchen because he uses marijuana every day, drinks alcohol frequently."
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. First, X-rays revealed "multiple bilateral rib fractures in various stages of healing as well as a healing clavicular fracture" (Safe Passage report), indicating a pattern of prior physical abuse of the 2-month-old before the fatal incident. Second, the charges against the father were significantly upgraded: initially charged with manslaughter and child endangerment, a Goodhue County grand jury later indicted him on 1st-degree murder charges, bringing the total to 13 charges (Bring Me The News article). Third, the Safe Passage report notes that "Ozzy's family did not have any child protection involvement, but his father had multiple domestic violence cases against his mother and previous partners," highlighting a systemic gap where the father's documented history of domestic violence did not trigger child protective scrutiny after the baby's birth. Fourth, the mother had independently noticed bruising and taken photos on her phone before the fatal incident, per the CBS News article, yet no intervention occurred.
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.