A five-week-old baby has died in Ohio, United States, after suffering severe injuries allegedly inflicted when a family friend shook him while attempting to calm him down.
The baby, identified as Elijah Dennis, died on Monday at Akron Children’s Hospital after spending nearly three weeks in the hospital, according to local reports.
Police said Christian Jones, 29, of Youngstown, was arrested and charged with second-degree felonious assault in connection with the incident. His case is expected to be presented to a Mahoning County grand jury.
The incident occurred on August 5, 2026, after Elijah’s parents, Fred Dennis and Jessica Zanni, left their home to run errands.
According to court documents cited by local media, Jones was at the home when the baby began crying. Jones initially told investigators that Elijah had been coughing before losing consciousness and that he had attempted to call emergency services.
Investigators later alleged that Jones changed his account and admitted that he had shaken or forcefully bounced the baby while trying to calm him.
When investigators questioned him about the conflicting accounts, Jones reportedly said he had lied “because I don’t want to go to jail.”
Elijah’s parents told WFMJ that they returned home and found their son unconscious and turning blue.
“At that moment, we actually found our son in Christian’s hands, unconscious, blue from head to toe, purple in the lips,” Dennis said.
Zanni said she immediately realised that something was seriously wrong when she picked up her son.
“When I picked him up, I said, ‘Why is he limp? Why is he limp?’” she said.
Elijah was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital, where doctors placed him on life support after he suffered a severe brain injury. His parents had initially hoped that he would recover and eventually return home.
The baby’s condition later deteriorated. According to his family, his organs began to fail, and he was placed on a dialysis machine before he began to swell.
His parents eventually confirmed that Elijah died after being removed from life support.
“Any time I talk about it, it brings tears because he should be home with us. He should be here, not up there. He shouldn’t be,” Zanni told WFMJ.
Local reports said Jones was initially held on a $50,000 bond and was ordered not to have contact with Elijah’s family. He had not been indicted as of August 26, while prosecutors were considering the case before a grand jury.
The baby’s death has now changed the circumstances surrounding the criminal case, although the exact charges Jones could ultimately face will depend on the prosecutor’s review and grand jury proceedings.
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