Baltimore police warrant sweep leads to arrest of father accused in death of 3-month-old son

A Baltimore man has been charged in connection with the death of his 3-month-old son in 2024. 

The arrest of 31-year-old Wayne Burnett came on September 16 during a two-week warrant sweep in Baltimore. The sweep resulted in police capturing a total of 86 individuals with outstanding warrants. They including arrests of four homicide suspects and three people wanted for attempted murder, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) said.   

The BPD confirmed that Burnett was arrested in connection with the fatal death of his 3-month-old son Taheem.

Charging documents sent to CBS News Baltimore show that Burnett faces multiple charges in the case, including second-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, first-degree assault and related offenses.  

Homicide detectives were called to Baltimore's Harbor Hospital on November 24, 2024 after medical personnel reported an unresponsive child had been brought to the hospital. Later, medical workers confirmed the child was deceased and the death was considered questionable, according to the charging documents.

After hearing that his son was dead, Burnett appeared nervous and asked if he was in trouble after seeing police officers pull up to the hospital with lights flashing. This prompted the father to flee the hospital on foot while leaving his 2-year-old daughter behind, the charging documents state.

The 3-month-old's body had a severe rash on the face, which could have been eczema, but other than that, the body did not show any obvious signs of trauma, according to the charging documents. 

A warrant was issued on November 25 for the 2800 block of Carver Road, where the boy was first reported to be found unresponsive, and evidence was collected at the scene. 

An autopsy was ordered and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide due to severe head injuries that led to brain hemorrhaging.