Iowa man arrested over a year after death of 18-month-old in Pleasant Hill
California police arrested an Iowa man for the alleged killing of an 18-month-old child in Pleasant Hill in December of 2021.
U.S. Marshals and local police in California arrested Jeremy White on April 7 in Roseville, California, located about 20 miles northeast of Sacramento, on a warrant issued in Iowa, according to the Roseville Police Department and California court records.
White was allegedly one of two people at home with an 18-month-old child in December 2021 when the child received a fatal blow to the head, according to a material witness warrant for White filed in June 2022. White was the live-in boyfriend of the child's mother at the time, according to the warrant.
Police arrived at the home located on Sugarberry Lane in Pleasant Hill just after 3 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2021, where they found the 18-month-old unresponsive. After performing CPR, they transported the child to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
A preliminary investigation showed the child "died from a subdural hemorrhage to the rear of the head, caused by his head being struck by or against, a blunt object," according to the warrant. The investigation showed the child also suffered hemorrhaging behind the eyes, "indicating that the child had been severely shaken." The warrant states the medical examiner estimated that those injuries were likely sustained only a few hours prior to the child's death.
On April 7, 2022, the state Medical Examiner determined that the child's injuries were consistent with a homicide. In June 2022, police went searching for White as a suspect in the child's death.
Suspect originally said injuries were an accident
White originally told police he was alone at home when the 18-month-old child rolled off the bed during a nap, which he claimed caused the child's injuries. The child's mother had left while the child was napping to go tanning at approximately 2:55 p.m., according to the warrant.
The warrant states White told police he was sitting in the downstairs family room when he heard a "thud" over the baby monitor connected to the child's room. He said when he went into the room, he found the child face down on the floor. The warrant states he tried to conduct a "fingers sweep" in the child's mouth when he realized the child appeared "to be having difficulty breathing." However, this led to the child "gagging, vomiting, and eventually the child stops breathing," the warrant states.
The warrant states White first called the child's mother before calling 911 to alert authorities of the child's condition.
In the months after the incident, White allegedly split from the child's mother and moved around from Tennessee to California to Hawaii, according to the warrant. The Pleasant Hill Police Department worked with the Hawaii County Police Department to locate White, whose Hawaii address turned out to be fake.
Case set for extradition hearing in California
Authorities in Roseville located White on April 7 and booked him into the Placer County Jail. Inmate records show White is ineligible for bail. Detective Paul Kuhlman of the Pleasant Hill Police Department said White is being charged with child endangerment causing death, which is a class B felony.
White has waived his right to an extradition hearing, according to Kuhlman, which means he will be extradited to Iowa before April 30. Kuhlman said the department is currently coordinating logistics on how to get White back to Iowa.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: California police, US Marshals arrest Iowa man for Dec. 2021 crime
