‘Frustration’ led man to throw infant to his death, West Virginia cops say
A West Virginia man has been arrested and charged in connection with the “suspicious” death of an infant, police said.
Troopers responded to reports of an unresponsive infant Sunday, May 25, at a home in Lewis County, a 135-mile drive southwest from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the West Virginia State Police said in a May 28 news release.
There, the infant was pronounced dead, police said. The child was a 1-year-old boy, WDTV reported.
After an autopsy, 28-year-old Zachary Williams was charged with murder and child abuse resulting in death, police said.
The mother of the infant — who was not named — told police she was trying to put him down for a nap and she asked Williams for help, WBOY reported.
Soon after Williams went into the child’s bedroom and the mother left, he started “yelling for her,” according to the complaint, the outlet reported. She found the child “to be limp” and called 911, according to WBOY.
Williams told police the infant became unresponsive while he was bouncing him to try to get him to go to sleep, but he later said he threw the child “out of frustration,” causing the baby to hit his head on a bed frame and floor, West Virginia News reported.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 11:24 AM with the headline "‘Frustration’ led man to throw infant to his death, West Virginia cops say."
