Father charged in baby's death

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A 20-year-old Perryville man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 9-month-old son, Robert M. Lindsey.

Matthew R. Lindsey admitted to authorities that in an effort to quiet the baby's cries Friday he held the child's face against his chest for approximately five minutes until he stopped moving, according to the probable-cause statement.

The elder Lindsey then went to sleep for about seven hours, according to the statement, and when he awoke he discovered his son was dead.

The baby was pronounced dead that day at Perry County Memorial Hospital, according to the affidavit.

Perryville police arrested Lindsey on Monday. He was in the Perry County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond as of Tuesday. His first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 16 before Perryville Associate Circuit Judge Michael J. Bullerdieck.

If convicted of the charge, Lindsey faces a life sentence in prison without eligibility for parole.

Perry County Coroner Herb Miller said he took the child's body to Farmington forensic pathologist Dr. Russell D. Deidiker for autopsy.

Deidiker's report on Saturday ruled the cause of death was undetermined. But Deidiker told authorities that injuries found on the child and being held against the father's chest as Lindsey described to police could've caused the child's death. He told police that injuries on the child were consistent with Lindsey's statement.

Lindsey initially told police he didn't know why his son had died. He told them that other than a bout of diarrhea prior to going to sleep at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, the child had slept soundly until 9:30 a.m. the next day, according to the court document.

After giving the child a bottle, Lindsey said he went back to sleep for about 2 1/2 hours, awaking to find the baby cold and unresponsive.

Conflicting story

His story didn't match evidence found at the scene or testimony from a witness at the residence, Perryville police chief Keith B. Tarrillion said Tuesday.

Lindsey was interviewed again Saturday, at which time he told police he held the child to his chest until he stopped moving, according to the affidavit.

The court document states that Lindsey told authorities he has an anger management problem and had been upset that night because his girlfriend, the mother of the child, had gone out to visit an ex-boyfriend.

The mother's name was not listed in the probable-cause statement and it is not known if she resides at the address where the incident occurred. Tarrillion said she was not at the residence when the child died.

"The case is an unfortunate incident," Tarrillion said. "A lot of these infant deaths go undetermined. Our officers did an excellent job observing things that were out of place."

Tarrillion said the case remains under investigation.

Perry County Prosecuting Attorney Thomas L. Hoeh could not be reached for comment.

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