Iowa Infant Beaten to Death and Teen Dad Is Charged

An Iowa teen father is behind bars in connection with the beating death of his eight-month-old daughter. Jayden Straight, 17, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in the death of Raija Straight, Polk County Attorney John Sarcone tells PEOPLE.

An Iowa teen father is behind bars in connection with the beating death of his eight-month-old daughter.

Jayden Straight, 17, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in the death of Raija Straight, Polk County Attorney John Sarcone tells PEOPLE.

Raija suffered multiple skull fractures, a ruptured spleen, several broken ribs and massive retina hemorrhaging, according to a police affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

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A doctor allegedly told detectives that the girl’s injuries were “from a deliberate assault and could not be explained as unintentional or accidental,” the affidavit says.

“It is heart-wrenching what she potentially went through,” Des Moines Police Department Sgt. Paul Parizek tells PEOPLE. “I heard it was described as [being similar to] an eight-month-old child being dropped off the roof of a house. It is pretty brutal.”

Des Moines police were called to the Mercy Medical Center at approximately 4:25 p.m. July 13 to investigate a report of an 8-month-old girl with “serious inflicted injuries,” according to a press release from Des Moines police.

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Des Moines Police Department

Police learned that the girl had serious internal injuries, as well as traumatic injuries to her head.

According to the affidavit, Straight was the primary caregiver of Raija when be brought her unresponsive to the hospital.

“According to Jayden no other persons were around Raija that day, and was unable to provide any explanation as to how Raija received these injuries,” the affidavit alleges.

“The injuries only could have occurred in this short period of time and the only person who was with the child according to medical personnel was Jayden Straight,” Parizek alleges.

Parizek says that Straight later left the hospital and turned himself into police at 2 a.m. on July 15.

Straight is being held in a jail in Polk County on $750,000 bail. Prosecutors say he will be tried as an adult.

He has entered a plea of not guilty. He has yet to be assigned an attorney with the public defender’s office.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 25.

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