PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria County’s Coroner says the death of a baby this week in South Peoria raised suspicions with him almost right away.
Seven-month-old Eland Davis was pronounced dead on Tuesday after being found unresponsive that morning. A caregiver reportedly told police that Eland was sleeping in the same bed as a parent, and had rolled over Eland, finding the baby unresponsive the next morning.
Eland was taken to a hospital not breathing and later died.
Coroner Jamie Harwood tells WMBD’s “The Phil Lucianio Show” that the explanation of events that led to Eland’s death were suspicious.
“We know that 98% to 99% of our co-sleep deaths are birth to 3 months. Anything after that, it’s really unlikely, and so we look for a trauma” Harwood said. “And unfortunately, when we got into our autopsy, we discovered this child had suffered an abusive head trauma.”
41-year-old Dwayne Davis is charged with First Degree Murder and Endangering the Life and Health of a Child in the death of Eland. He was arrested later in the day on Tuesday.
Eland Davis’ death this week is the second such case of a young child passing away after allegedly suffering abuse at the hands of a caretaker. 18-year-old Amarian Billups-Wilson is charged with First Degree Murder in the death of 18-month-old Clylen Ewing.
Harwood says deaths such as Eland’s and Clylen’s are preventable. He says while there’s never an excuse for murder, some societal issues could be a factor.
“When we have kids who aren’t getting to school, they’re not able to read and write by the 4th grade, they’re more likely to turn to crime later in life,” Harwood said. “It’s a whole social issue that builds up to not knowing how to handle conflict. And when you have conflict, where do you get the resources to solve that conflict?”
Harwood says there are plenty of resources available, but getting people connected to what they need can prove difficult. An example Harwood gave is one he went through himself, when he was able to turn to qualified and trusted people to care for his children when needed. But he notes that is not always available, especially in places such as the East Bluff and South Peoria.
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