Mesquite man accused of murder in death of baby after claiming she stopped breathing while he showered, police say

A 24-year-old man is accused of murder in the death of a 4-month-old baby, the Mesquite Police Department announced Friday.

Mesquite police said that, on May 9, officers were called to the 4000 block of Towne Crossing Boulevard to assist the fire department after an unconscious 4-month-old baby was found.

First responders performed life-saving measures on the baby, who was transported to the hospital. She was pronounced dead on May 15, according to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office.

Police said multiple injuries were discovered on the baby's body, prompting an investigation.

Investigators developed "sufficient evidence" to arrest a suspect, identified as Jayeshaun Spencer, on a capital murder charge in the death of the 4-month-old, police said in a statement.

Arrest affidavit details incident

Mesquite police said an officer spoke with Spencer, who told them he was in charge of watching the baby before the incident.

According to the arrest affidavit, Spencer said he placed the baby into a car seat due to her spitting up and helping to keep her safe from two dogs inside the apartment. Spencer said he then went to take a shower and admitted he had heard the baby cry. He said he was away for 5 to 10 minutes before checking on her and noticed that she was gagging, her face was turning purple and she was cold to the touch.

Spencer told the officer that this issue had happened before and that he had called the child's mother, who was pulling into the parking lot at the time. Spencer said when the baby stopped breathing, he called 9-1-1 and followed instructions to perform CPR before first responders arrived.

Officers said the mother, Spencer and another juvenile child were inside the apartment when they arrived on scene. 

The child's mother told investigators that her daughter had a "medical condition" in which she would spit up and vomit. She showed officers her medication, famotidine, which is typically prescribed for acid reflux.

Evidence shows signs of injury

Police said after the baby arrived at the hospital, a CT scan showed brain swelling, and photographs showed redness and bruising to one of her eyelids. She was then care-flighted to Texas Children's Hospital in Dallas. 

Spencer was asked if the child had fallen, been dropped, or been hit by anything, to which he stated not on that date. He said the child had fallen off the bed multiple times before, but never sustained any injuries.

When the Dallas County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the child, they found the child had a large skull fracture, which caused the death, two broken femurs, and a broken rib that was in a healing stage."

 The examiner classified the child's death as a homicide, advising that the injuries "could not have been caused by a fall or any sort of accident in which she was dropped or fallen on by another person." 

The arrest affidavit said that investigators discovered there was a protection order against Spencer, showing the baby's mother as the protected person. According to the protection order, Spencer wasn't allowed to be within 300 yards of the mother's home, a business, or a school, or to track or contact the mother or her family.

Officers took Spencer into custody for violating the order and transported him to the Mesquite Jail without incident.

During the investigation into the child's death, police said investigators developed "sufficient evidence" to arrest Spencer for capital murder, finding that Spencer was in sole care and custody of the child, and no one else was in the apartment or had access to the child at the time of the alleged assault. They also noted inconsistency in Spencer's statements on versions of events. It's unclear if Spencer is the father of the baby.

The investigation is ongoing.