Investigators: Alabama infant died from blunt force trauma
Published 1:40 pm Friday, May 14, 2021
An Alabama infant found dead after being reported missing was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, according to court papers filed Friday charging his father with capital murder.
The cause of death was included in an affidavit filed with court documents charging 32-year-old Caleb Whisnand Sr. with capital murder. The body of 5-week old Caleb Whisnand Jr. was found Wednesday night in a rural area of Lowndes County, investigators said.
Whisnand was arrested Wednesday shortly after he appeared at a press conference with authorities to make a public plea for the baby’s safe return. He hugged the baby’s mother, Angela Gardner, and prompted her to show a cellphone photo of the missing baby.
“I don’t remember a lot. But I did remember I was breaking up with the cops,” he said.
Authorities were alerted to the missing child after they received a 911 call Monday night from a convenience store.
Gardner told reporters at the Wednesday press conference that the baby had been with Whisnand and he told her that he realized the infant was missing when he went to go pay at a gas station.