Arkansas authorities say they have charged a man with first-degree domestic battery after his 2-year-old son died in an emergency room on Saturday.
Terrell Powell, 32, said his son “appeared lethargic” and “wasn’t breathing normally” the morning of his death, according to a statement from the Fort Smith Police Department.
The man told officers he did not call an ambulance until his wife returned from working a night shift around 6 a.m., the department said.
When the family arrived at the hospital, medical workers called police to report the 2-year-old had “suspicious injuries” and was bleeding from his brain, the statement said.
The boy died later that day.
After an interview with officers, Powell was charged with first-degree domestic battery, police said.
As of Saturday afternoon, he was being held at Sebastian County jail without bail.