kidzndogznme said:
It happened in or around March of this year in Pittsburgh PA.
Okay, just found this. What a darling little boy, so sad.
- Mar 29, 2006 9:05 pm US/Eastern
New Brighton Toddler's Death Ruled A Homicide
Paul Martino
Reporting
(KDKA) NEW BRIGHTON New Brighton Police are calling the death of a toddler a homicide.
Dakota Coffer, 2, was found at his home in Valley View Gardens apartments on Fifth Avenue in New Brighton.
New Brighton Police Chief Charles Vansoffen says he believes a crime was committed because of the childs injuries. The Medical Examiner has not yet determined if the injuries caused Dakotas death.
Dakota was found with a skull fracture and he had bruises all over his body. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The medical examiner gave us a preliminary finding that he's going to rule this a homicide due to injuries the child sustained, said New Brighton Police Chief Charles Vansoffan. We at the police department felt there was a criminal act, whether that act led to this child's death or not, that will be determined by the medical examiner.
Police say the initial call came in that a subject was not breathing. When police arrived at the apartment, they realized it was a 2-year-old boy.
Vansoffen explained that the family told him Cofer had been sick and thought he stopped breathing because he was ill. The child was being cared for by an acquaintance of Dakotas mother, Elizabeth Cofer.
Dakotas mother and her boyfriend, James Davis, were brought in for questioning.
Davis is now in the Beaver County Jail on a probation violation. Police also consider Davis a person of interest.
I know Jimbo wouldnt do anything to hurt that baby. He watches my son, his sister has two newborns and a little girl, and he watches [them], said Angel Wesse, a neighbor.
Tonya Holmes, who also lives nearby, says Dakota was hurt when his brother pushed him off of the couch Monday night.
Beaver County Children and Youth Services removed his three-year-old brother Gabriel from their home and placed him in foster care.
http://kdka.com/local/local_story_088205801.html