On December 17, 1-year-old Layla was left in the care of Dennis Wayne Justus, 28, her mother's roommate and longtime family friend, while her mother Melissa Hartley went to work at a hospital in Roseville, Michigan. Approximately 30 minutes into Hartley's shift, she received an emergency call that Layla was unresponsive. The child had been shaken so violently that her corneas detached and she sustained hematomas behind her eyes and a brain bleed diagnosed as shaken baby syndrome. Layla was transported to Ascension Hospital and then transferred to Detroit Children's Hospital, where she was declared brain dead. She was kept on life support so her organs could be donated and died just before Christmas. Justus was charged with involuntary manslaughter and held on $300,000 bond.
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)
Both documents describe the child being violently shaken. The Fox News article states the suspect "shook the girl so hard that her corneas detached from her head and caused hematomas." The FOX 2 Detroit article states "she was told the little girl was shaken so hard that her corneas detached, causing hematomas behind her eyes." Shaking is an 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 FOX 2 Detroit article explicitly states: "Doctors determined -- she had a brain bleed caused by baby shaken syndrome." The Fox News article also references the shaking as causing fatal brain injuries, and an expert from the Brain Injury Rights Group discusses the mechanism at length.
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?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
The FOX 2 Detroit article's headline explicitly refers to Justus as a "babysitter": "Mom: 1-year-old was shaken so hard by babysitter her corneas detached in manslaughter case." The mother left her daughter in his care when she went to work, placing him in a babysitting role.
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)?
Dennis Wayne Justus is described as the mother's "roommate and long-time family friend" in the Fox News article and as "a male acquaintance of the infant's mom" and "her roommate Justus, 28, a longtime family friend" in the FOX 2 Detroit article. He was a male friend of the family who was responsible for the child's death.
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?
The Fox News article states: "Prosecutors authorized an arrest warrant for Justus for involuntary manslaughter, which is a felony that can carry up to 15 years in prison." The FOX 2 Detroit article confirms: "He is being charged with manslaughter." The Fox News article also states he was "arraigned Tuesday" and "arrested Dennis Wayne Justus, 28, last Friday."
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?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the text. First, the FOX 2 Detroit article states that "Layla was declared brain dead. She stayed on life support so her organs could be donated to other sick children. She died just before Christmas." The organ donation detail is substantive. Second, the mother expressed that she feels the involuntary manslaughter charge (max 15 years) is insufficient: "I don't think 15 years is enough for what happened to her... I think he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, with no parole." Third, the Fox News article includes expert testimony from Patrick Donohue estimating "close to 1,500 brain injury deaths among babies per year" and noting that number may be underestimated, pointing to a broader systemic issue with tracking these deaths. The mother also stated her intent to "make it her life's mission now to spread awareness about child abuse."
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