Inverness, Florida — An Inverness man has been arrested following an almost 9-month- long investigation into the death of a 3-month-old baby.
On January 7, 2020, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to a medical emergency involving a 3-month-old infant.
Upon arrival, deputies observed the victim’s father, Andrew Lynn Martin, 24, attempting to perform CPR on the child.
Emergency Medical Services arrived and transported the baby to Citrus Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Early in the investigation, detectives were able to determine that Martin had been alone with the victim in the hours leading up to the infant’s death.
As the investigation progressed, detectives conducted multiple interviews, consulted with the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Child Protection Team, and reviewed numerous medical records.
The Medical Examiner found injuries on the victim’s body in various healing stages and determined that the infant had recently suffered multiple severe blunt force injuries, which caused the infant’s death.
In addition to severe bruising, Xrays revealed three fractures on the ribs and near the spine. Further examination revealed a brain bleed, retinal hemorrhage, optic nerve sheath hemorrhage, and spinal cord hemorrhage. Scans also showed multiple rib fractures in various stages of healing.
The Child Protection Team examined the victim after his death, who confirmed that he had suffered numerous injuries consistent with child abuse.
After receiving all the official medical documents and evidence about this case, Detective Casalvieri and Detective Arnold scheduled a follow-up interview with Martin.
During the October 20, interview, Martin made statements that detailed several instances where his actions would have resulted in the victim’s injuries. Martin confirmed he had been in sole care and custody of the victim in the hours leading up to his death.
Martin was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter, Child Abuse, and Child Neglect.
He was transported to the Citrus County Detention Facility where he is being held without bond.
Despite the fact that the mother admitted to having to tell Martin to be more gentle with the baby, she denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
In a statement, Martin said, “I never meant to hurt my son.”
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