Man Accused Of Abusing 2-Month-Old Allegedly Searched Skull Fractures Online

TEXARKANA, Texas–The father of a 2-month-old boy who was hospitalized last week with a skull fracture and brain bleeding allegedly searched online for information about skull fractures after the baby was hospitalized.

A detective reviewing the father’s phone allegedly found that the last internet search conducted on Cedric Von Kelley Jr.’s cell phone related to skull fractures: “Can you tell if a fractured skull is an accident or on purpose,” according to a probable cause affidavit

The baby was taken via ambulance to a Texarkana emergency room at about 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 24 from an apartment complex in the 900 block of Westlawn Drive, the affidavit said. From the local hospital, the baby was transported to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, after it was discovered he was suffering from severe brain injuries that required a higher level of care.

A member of the baby’s care team at the Fort Worth hospital contacted Texarkana police the evening of Sept. 24 to report that the baby had a “non-accidental life-threatening injury,” the affidavit said.

Detective Casey Schmidt with the Texarkana Texas Police Dept. reportedly interviewed the next-door neighbor of Kelley’s who had called 911 the morning of Sept. 24 to request an ambulance for the infant. The neighbor allegedly told the detective that Kelley had knocked on his door and asked to use his phone because his phone was not working.

The neighbor allegedly said Kelley was holding the baby, who was gasping for air and would begin to cry but suddenly stop, when he asked to use the neighbor’s phone to “call his mother.” The neighbor reportedly told Kelley he needed to call an ambulance for the baby, “not his mother.”

The baby’s mother, who shared the apartment with Kelley and her three older children from a previous relationship, reportedly told investigators that Kelley did not notify her that the baby had been taken to the hospital. The mother had left to take the older children to school and then went to work.

She reported that after she arrived at the hospital, Kelley left to get his cell phone repaired.

The mother allegedly told police that when she had come home from work for lunch on Sept. 23, Kelley was “sitting with his hands on his face and seemed very overwhelmed.”

The mother said the baby seemed “tense” when she held him on that day, leading her to believe he was in pain, perhaps from an upset stomach.

“She stated that Cedric told her that the victim had been crying all day and that he couldn’t handle it,” the affidavit said. “[The mother] stated that she did not feel comfortable going back to work and leaving Cedric with the victim while he was overwhelmed so she stayed home for the rest of the day.”

The mother reportedly told Det. Schmidt that Kelley had been violent with her while she was pregnant with the baby in June and that he had been arrested for assaulting her in mid-September. Court records show Kelley has pending misdemeanor charges of family violence assault for offenses that allegedly occurred June 4 and Sept. 13.

Kelley’s infant son was born July 17, according to the affidavit.

Prior to allowing the detective to look through his phone, Kelley allegedly told him the baby was “fussy,” and “has always been fussy, he’s clingy.”

Kelley has been charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. If convicted, he faces five to 99 years or life in prison.

He is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $200,000.

Kelley is represented by the Bowie County Public Defender’s Office. The case has been assigned to Fifth District Judge Bill Miller.