A Florida man was charged this week with aggravated manslaughter more than a year after his 5-week-old baby died from extensive injuries.
Dajuan Patrick, 27, was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on a warrant from Volusia County, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Dahlia Siebenhaar was admitted to a hospital on December 2, 2024, with severe injuries. She was unresponsive and never regained consciousness before she was taken off life support on December 12.
An autopsy found extensive head trauma, broken ribs, bruising across her body, and retinal hemorrhages that doctors say were caused by being shaken and held with “extreme force.” Volusia County Chief Medical Examiner James Fulcher later ruled her death a homicide.
Investigators spent 15 months studying medical records and other evidence and conducting interviews before determining that Patrick shook the newborn and spanked her.
“The arrest in this case won’t bring Dahlia back or give her the childhood she deserved, but today we’re speaking up for her, because her life mattered,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
Patrick is being held without bond in Jacksonville awaiting transport to Volusia County.
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[Featured image: Dajuan Patrick/Volusia County Sheriff’s Office]
