Winconsin man arrested for beating two-month-old baby to death while his mother held him in her arms
A two-month-old baby was allegedly beaten to death in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday by a male suspect, who may or may not be his father. The baby was killed while his mother was holding him, inside his Milwaukee home near 28th and Burleigh streets.
Milwaukee Police say baby Jaquerrion Dancer was pronounced dead at the hospital around 9 pm that night -- around 13 hours after he was struck by the unnamed man. According to reports, the mother, Jessica, was too distraught to talk to reporters after the incident.
Police say they were called to the victim's home before 8 am to look into an alleged case of domestic violence.
Reports say that the man hit both Jessica and the baby she was cradling; the infant was badly hurt and had to be taken to Children's Hospital.
Rev. Dan Quakkelaar, who is providing grief counseling to the mother, said the baby was born premature and had been fighting hard to live from the day he was born.
Jessica provided reporters with pictures of the child, about which Quakkelaar said: "You can tell from the picture that he was a beautiful boy and full of life. It's hard to deal with when a life like that is lost so tragically and so unnecessarily."
Milwaukee Police Assistant Chief Steve Caballero has confirmed that a male suspect has been taken into custody for questioning, although it remains unclear whether he is baby Jaquerrion's father. The motive for the crime also remains unknown.
Jessica's neighbors have expressed their shock and grief over the loss, and a GoFundMe page 'In Memory of Jaquerrion Dancer' has been created for Jaquerrion's mother to help her pay for the baby's funeral expenses. "All excess funds will go directly to Jessica, the mother," the page reads. "Please mourn with us and give what you can to help this grieving mother."
"It's a sad thing that kids have to go like that," said neighbor George Bailey. "I can't even imagine, to think about something like that happening to my baby [sic.]," he added.