Decatur police say a central Illinois man has been arrested in connection with the death of a five-month-old child.
On March 23, Decatur police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel responded to a home in the 1100 block of East Division for a report of a child who was not breathing. The mother of the baby told officers the baby choked on formula. 5-month-old Daniya Lewis was taken to Decatur Memorial Hospital where a CAT scan showed head trauma. The child was later transferred to HSHS St. John’s Hospital, where the child was pronounced dead five days later.
Court documents say Daniya had injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome: retinal hemorrhage, subdural hematoma on the brain, and hypoxic brain injury.
23-year-old Duan Lewis, the father, was interviewed Wednesday and told police he threw the 5-month-old onto a bed. Lewis told police Daniya hit the bed and “bounced” up multiple times due to him throwing her so hard. Lewis went on telling police when he threw her he thought he may have “broken her neck.”
Decatur police arrested Lewis, 23 on charges of murder, and is being held at the Macon County Jail.
Detectives say the investigation is ongoing, and that additional arrests are still possible.