New details have emerged regarding the death of a 10-week-old infant from Ridgecrest, whose father is charged in connection with the child’s death.
The Ridgecrest Police Department released a report Monday detailing the results of tests performed on the infant while he was in the hospital.
The report refutes the father’s claim that he accidentally dropped his son, Travion, the morning of March 6.
The report is consistent with the results of a March 14 autopsy that ruled the death a homicide and led to Kylor Smith-Sims’ arrest.
The police report claims the baby suffered three skull fractures, bleeding in the brain, retinal hemorrhaging, and 12 broken ribs. These injuries, the report continues, do not match those of a typical fall and were more like those suffered in “a major car accident or [fall] from a three story building.”
The report also quotes Smith-Sims as saying the mother of the child, who is his girlfriend, Danielle Valentine, was not awake when he claims he dropped his son.
Smith-Sims denied someone else, including Valentine, had hurt the child before he dropped him.
Smith-Sims appeared in court in downtown Bakersfield for his arraignment, but that arraignment was pushed back to March 26, while the court works out a legal issue.
He’s currently being held without bail.
Last week, Smith-Sims’ mother, who is Travion’s grandmother, came to her son’s defense.
"This is an accident. Okay. It's an accident. God knows it,” said Sheila Smith-Sims. “There's no way in hell that they want to hurt those kids. No way."
Meanwhile, 17 News managed to obtain the 9-1-1 call placed on March 6 in the early hours of the morning, as the infant’s parents and at least one neighbor attempted to perform CPR on the infant, who had stopped breathing.
Valentine can be heard on the recording telling the operator, “He’s not breathing. His heart stopped.”
The operator repeatedly reminded her to continue CPR, as the mother stated that “nothing’s happening.”
“Okay, keep going,” said the operator. “We need to keep going. This’ll give the baby the best chance. We have help on the way.”
According to the Ridgecrest Police Report, officers arrived at the couple’s apartment at 5:45 a.m. on March 6, and found the baby was still not breathing and had no pulse.
The infant was then transported to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital before being taken via helicopter to Loma Linda Medical University, where the infant was placed on life support.
Four days later, Travion showed no brain activity and was considered deceased.
