Dad Charged With Homicide Claims He Fell Down Stairs With Baby
LIVONIA (WWJ) - A Livonia father who claims he was holding his 10-month-old baby when he fell down a flight of stairs has been charged with homicide and child abuse in the infant's death.
Police say their investigation unfolded on Monday, September 21 when they were dispatched to the 38000 block of Summers, off I-96 near Newburgh Road, on a report of an unresponsive infant.
At the scene, police say 33-year-old Mark Patrick Hontz told them he was holding the baby when he fell down the stairs in his house. The child was transported to an area hospital in critical condition and died the next day.
Investigators say the medical assessment of the injuries, along with the preliminary results of the autopsy, revealed that the infant was the victim of a homicide.
Hontz was arraigned on charges of felony murder, first-degree child abuse, and habitual offender. He was ordered held without bond ahead of an October 15 preliminary examination.