Doctors: Infant suffered 'head injuries'

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man has been arrested for second-degree murder in the death of his 5-week-old son.

Dustin Eugene Mason, 25, is accused of shaking the infant to the point it caused death, Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said Tuesday morning, June 20.

Mason was arrested Tuesday on a warrant stemming from an investigation by the sheriff's office and the Butler County children's division, Dobbs said. He is currently being held in Butler County jail with no bond.

Deputies were first called to Mason's Mustang Lane home Oct. 28 when the father reported the child had choked on baby formula and was unresponsive, according to documents filed with the Butler County Courthouse.

The child was treated at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center before being transferred to Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

The infant was cared for in the Pediatric Critical Care Unit until Nov. 2 when doctors advised that due to "severe, irreversible brain injuries," escalating life-support measures and further medical interventions would not alter his prognosis.

The child passed away shortly after that, investigators report.

Mason told investigators he was home alone with the infant and two other children on the evening the baby was taken to the hospital.

He said he had left the child in a baby swing, with a blanket used to prop up his bottle, while he was in the bathroom, according to court documents.

Mason said he heard choking and returned to the living room, took the bottle from the baby and picked him up to pat his back. At that time, blood and baby formula began to come out of the child's nose, according to reports made to investigators. Emergency medical services crews arrived and the child had been unconscious for at least 30 minutes when he was transferred to St. Louis, investigators reported.

Treating doctors reported medical exams showed injuries were inconsistent with information provided to law enforcement.

A report released in April by pathologist Dr. Russell Deidiker said an autopsy revealed the child "died as a result of complications due to closed head injuries that occurred over a period of time."

Deidiker reported finding:

• inadequate blood supply to the cerebrum, brain stem and cerebellum;
• bridging vein tears and subdural hemorrhages to the brain, both recent and older;
• numerous retinal hemorrhages.

Investigators also interviewed the child's pediatrician, who reported seeing the baby five days after his birth and then for a one-month checkup Oct. 27. The doctor reported the child was 9 pounds, 11 ounces, and appeared to be doing well without any listed problems.

Mason was scheduled to appear Thursday, June 22, before Judge C. Wade Pierce.