Clint Nokes, 19, reported that his baby was not breathing on Dec. 1. First responders who arrived at the scene could not revive the boy and rushed him to Davis Hospital.
Nokes at the time told an officer that he was feeding the baby and tried to burp the infant, but the infant would not burp. Nokes told the officer that the boy went limp when he pulled him away.
Nokes said he saw the baby was not breathing and took a big gasp of air. He claimed that he then called his girlfriend, Krista Larsen, to let her know that something was wrong.
The young father’s story began to fall apart when officers contacted the hospital. Doctors there reported that the baby’s head and ribs were bruised and that a CT scan showed a skull fracture. The boy also had detached retinas and bleeding in the brain.
The doctors feared for the boy’s life and rushed him to the Primary Children’s hospital. The baby died on Dec. 2 at 1:25 a.m.
The shocking extent of the injuries was revealed after an autopsy. The boy had a four-inch skull fracture, hemorrhaged optic nerves, and bloody spinal fluid. The baby’s ribs, humerus, and tibia were broken.
Faced with the facts of the autopsy Nokes admitted to police that he ‘exploded’ after getting tired of the baby crying. He says he “chucked” the child on the couch and into the swing.
Nokes then revealed more horrifying facts. He told investigators that he pulled the child by the leg and carried the baby by the leg from the living room into the kitchen. He said he held the baby and jumped up and down, causing the baby’s head to flop back and forth.
Nokes also told police that he dropped the baby on his head in the kitchen sink earlier this week.
Nokes is being held at the Davis County Jail without bail.
Krista Larsen’s profile on Facebook has photos of the child with the couple. According to her profile, the couple’s relationship began in August, 2015.
The baby’s name was Hudson, according to Facebook posts by several of Larsen’s family members. Seven family members changed their profile pictures to show the baby.
