Man Arrested After Child’s Death
***UPDATE JAN. 10, 2013 6:47 p.m.***Randolph County Prosecutor Mike Fusselman confirmed Thursday evening that a judge has signed court documents charging Joe Laswell with second degree murder. ***UPDATE 10:33 P.M.***People in the Clark area told ABC 17 News Jayden Bradds mother’s name is Lacey-Joe Bradds. ABC 17 News tracked down the family’s house to County Road 247 outside of Clark. The family was home and said they were grieving but refused to talk about the baby’s death.Officials aren’t releasing specific details of Jayden’s death, such as where it happened or who was there. However, they are taking this case very seriously, “Well you are talking about a homicide and child death. Child deaths are typically complicated because what occurs in the events don’t have an adult witness,” said Randolph County Prosecutor Mike Fusselman.Officials believe Jayden was killed sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. They expect the investigation into the death will take some time.Randolph County deputies and the Highway Patrol started the investigation early Sunday and within hours they arrested Joe Laswell on child abuse and domestic assault charges.Neighbors in the area say they often hear loud noises at the house. While they don’t know what happened, this death is a reminder of what to prevent in the future. “I think it makes people think about their own relatives with children maybe watch out a little bit more if there is anything they think might be going on just to pay a little more attention,” said Melanie Morgret who lives nearby. The Randolph County prosecutor said an autopsy was performed Monday, however the results that could give more information about how the child died, likely won’t come back for a few weeks.Joe Laswell is currently behind bars in the Randolph County Jail. ABC 17 News looked up his previous criminal record and found he has a previous domestic assault charge from two years ago and a burglary charge back in 2007.***ORIGINAL STORY***A Mid-Missouri man was arrested Sunday after a toddler died in Moberly.A family member took 18-month-old Jayden Bradds to Moberly Regional Medical Center around 9 a.m. Sunday. He was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the hospital.Later that afternoon, authorities arrested Joe Laswell, 23, of rural Clark. He was taken to the Randolph County jail on second-degree domestic assault and child abuse. Laswell is a friend of the boy’s mother.An autopsy of the boy is scheduled for Monday in Boone County. Investigators with Missouri State Highway Patrol are working the case along with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.
