3-month-old dies after days on life support; father charged
An infant from Gaffney who was on life support since March 18 died Wednesday afternoon, and his father is in custody for a child abuse charge.
According to Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler, the death is still under investigation. The infant was identified as Malachi Alfred Maurice Tate, Jr. He was three months old.
Fowler says the infant was brought to the hospital Saturday night by his father after he was found unresponsive in an apartment. The child was taken to Greenville Childrens Hospital and had been undergoing treatment, but he died shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday.
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According to Fowler, the child had “multiple areas of injuries on his body that are not consistent with a fall, as the father initially reported had occurred two days earlier.” Fowler said the injuries are “no doubt from abuse.”
An autopsy is scheduled to take place Friday afternoon, but the investigation into Tate’s death is still ongoing.
Cherokee County Jail records show that 20-year-old Malachi Alfred Maurice Tate was arrested on Sunday and is being held on a child abuse charge as of Thursday.
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