On January 7, 2024, at approximately 1:57 a.m., Duquesne police responded to a report of an unresponsive 3-month-old male infant, Dai'von Means, at a home on Hemlock Alley in Duquesne, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. First responders attempted CPR and the child was transported to UPMC McKeesport, where he was pronounced dead at 7:30 a.m. An autopsy determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, with injuries including bruising, a skull fracture, and bleeding near the brain. The mother, 26-year-old Alisha Parker, was determined to have been the sole adult caregiver in the hours leading up to the child's death. Parker had been drinking heavily, with a blood alcohol content of 0.187%. She initially attempted to blame the death on her 3-year-old daughter, but the medical examiner determined the injuries could only have been inflicted by an adult. Parker was charged with criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of a child, and ultimately pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges, receiving a sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison. The family was previously known to child welfare.
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)?
The mother was heavily intoxicated while serving as the sole caregiver of a 3-month-old and a 3-year-old. The TribLive article (Document 4) states "Parker's blood alcohol content was 0.187%, police said, more than twice the legal limit for driving." The Post-Gazette article (Document 5) describes Parker "stayed up drinking" while the children were supposedly sleeping, with a mostly empty bottle of tequila found in the home. Being severely intoxicated while being the sole adult caregiver of an infant and toddler constitutes inappropriate supervision.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Multiple sources describe inflicted injury. The fatality report (Document 1) states the death was "as a result of blunt force trauma to the head." The TribLive article (Document 4) provides more detail: "An autopsy showed Dai'von died from blunt force trauma to the head. He had bruising, a skull fracture and bleeding near the brain." The autopsy and investigation determined that "the injuries were inflicted by an adult and not by a three-year-old child" (Document 2).
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?
While the specific terms "shaken baby" or "abusive head trauma" are not used, the described injuries constitute abusive head trauma. The TribLive article (Document 4) states the infant "died from blunt force trauma to the head. He had bruising, a skull fracture and bleeding near the brain." The Allegheny County Police Facebook post (Document 3) confirms the "child's cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head and it was determined the child's injuries were inflicted by an adult." Inflicted blunt force trauma to the head of a 3-month-old infant causing skull fracture and intracranial bleeding is the clinical definition of abusive head trauma.
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The Post-Gazette article (Document 5) describes the infant being found in an environment that is unsafe for a 3-month-old: "The toddler was sleeping on a torn cushion near the window — which the witness told police was where the girl always slept... The witness found the infant stiff and not breathing in the space between the toddler and an air-conditioning unit adjacent to the cushion she slept on." A 3-month-old infant sharing a torn cushion with a toddler near an air conditioning unit, with no mention of a crib, represents an unsafe sleeping arrangement. However, the cause of death was blunt force trauma and it is unclear whether this was the child's regular sleeping arrangement or simply where the body was found after the assault.
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?
The fatality report (Document 1) states the report was indicated "naming the victim child's mother as the perpetrator" and that "the mother was the sole caregiver of the child at the time of incident." The Allegheny County Police Facebook post (Document 3) confirms "detectives learned the child's mother, 26-year-old Alisha Parker of Duquesne, was the only adult in the home in the hours leading up to the child's death." The TribLive article (Document 4) reports Parker "pleaded guilty before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Lazzara to third-degree murder."
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 fatality report (Document 1) explicitly states: "The family was previously known to child welfare." This indicates prior child protection involvement before the fatal incident.
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 fatality report (Document 1) states: "the mother had been criminally charged." The Allegheny County Police Facebook post (Document 3) confirms: "Parker was charged with criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of a child. She was taken into custody Wednesday." The TribLive article (Document 4) reports Parker later "pleaded guilty before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Lazzara to third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, simple assault and criminal mischief. She will serve 20 to 60 years in prison as part of a negotiated plea."
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?
Multiple sources reference the mother's mental health. The WTAE article (Document 2) states: "Parker has been on suicide watch since she was charged last week. A mother of two, Parker needs to be evaluated for competency before moving forward with testimony." The TribLive article (Document 4) provides additional detail: "The day Dai'von died, Parker checked herself into UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. She has since been diagnosed with postpartum depression and PTSD, Weaver said." The WTAE article also notes that Parker had "sent in recent months in which she complained about old trauma in her life."
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The WTAE article (Document 2) explicitly states: "Pittsburgh's Action News 4 discovered that Parker has faced a slew of criminal charges in the past, including counts of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, simple assault, and other lesser offenses." These prior criminal charges predate and are separate from the charges arising from this child's death.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple sources document the mother's alcohol use at the time of the incident. The TribLive article (Document 4) states: "Parker's blood alcohol content was 0.187%, police said, more than twice the legal limit for driving." The WTAE article (Document 2) notes the witness found Parker "was still awake and was drinking alcohol, later identified as tequila." The Post-Gazette article (Document 5) reports: "Parker told her cousin that the kids were fine, put to bed, and she was drinking. Police later found a mostly empty bottle of tequila in the home."
Notable Details
Several notable details not directly addressed by preceding questions were found. First, Parker initially attempted to blame her 3-year-old daughter for the infant's death, telling detectives: "If there's anything that happened out of the ordinary, my 3-year-old child did it and ya'll need to do something about that" and "that's why I feel like that little [expletive] girl had something to do with it" (Documents 2, 4, 5). Second, the TribLive article (Document 4) reports that investigators discovered separate injuries on the 3-year-old daughter — "scrapes on her head, redness and swelling and injuries to her back, stomach and leg" — with a doctor determining the injuries "could have been consistent with blunt force trauma" and noting "the lack of a plausible history of injury is particularly concerning," suggesting a broader pattern of child abuse in the household. Third, Parker pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and received 20 to 60 years in prison. Fourth, as Parker was leaving the police station after her interview, she reportedly stated: "Guess what, I'm gonna go home and [expletive] drink more" (Document 5), demonstrating a notable lack of concern following her infant's death.
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