Who is Noah Benjamin Bliss? North Carolina man arrested for shaking his newborn son to death inside a hospital
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: A North Carolina man was arrested last week for shaking the three-week-old son to death inside a hospital where the victim’s twin sister was being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Noah Benjamin Bliss, 22, was taken into custody on Friday, October 6, and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of intentional child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury in the tragic slaying of Gunner Bliss.
What does the arrest warrant state?
A warrant issued for Bliss’ arrest on the murder charge states that on October 6, he “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder GB.”
The warrant issued on the child abuse charge states that he “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did intentionally inflict serious bodily injury, brain swelling and brain bleed on Gunner Bliss, who was three weeks old and thus under 16 years of age.”
The warrant also mentions that Bliss, who was the parent of the victim at the time, supposedly brought upon the fatal injuries on the tot.
Although authorities have not disclosed much regarding the death of Gunner, the newborn’s mother, Savannah Bliss, provided additional details about her son’s shocking demise in an interview with NBC affiliate WRAL.
What did the victim's mother say?
“I want justice for my son,” Savannah Bliss told the station, adding “I trusted my husband to watch Gunner while I was taking care of his sister in the ICU. He was the sweetest boy with the most beautiful blue eyes — he was the best baby — for him to be taken so soon is so wrong.”
As per the report, Gunner and his twin sister Madelyn were both born prematurely on September 15 this year and were both admitted to the NICU at WakeMed Hospital’s Raleigh Campus.
Gunner was reportedly released from the unit only a few days before his death while Madelyn remained in the NICU.
The outlet reported that none of the twins had ever left the hospital when Gunner died.
When did the tragic incident occur?
Savannah Bliss told WRAL that the tragic incident took place while she and her husband were at WakeMed.
They had reportedly been staying on the hospital’s hotel-like floor, which is for individuals with loved ones admitted to the facility.
She also told the station that she went to visit Madelyn upstairs in the NICU and left Gunner in the care of her husband.
It is that moment, authorities said, the father shook his newborn son with so much force he was dead before the end of the day.
Gunner had been critically deprived of oxygen and suffered swelling and bleeding in his brain as the result of trauma to his head by the time Savannah Bliss returned from visiting Madelyn.
The newborn reportedly did not suffer any broken bones or other visible external injuries which indicated the injuries were likely incurred through violent shaking.
Savannah told the outlet that she was bushwacked by the tragedy and saw no signs of her husband being violent with their children.
“He seemed happy, like a proud father,” she said, adding “I never thought this would have happened. I trusted him. That was his daddy. He loved his babies.”