Minnesota Man Bites And Kills Baby — Blames Neighbor’s Dog And A Monkey Suit

Emery James Jenkins, 38, is accused of biting and killing his infant son, and blaming it on the neighbor’s pet dog. Jenkins, who hails from Deer River, Minnesota, is charged with one felony count of second-degree murder in the death of his 3-month-old son.

After two days in the hospital, the baby died on October 18. The medical examiner found a skull fracture, blunt force trauma to the body, and biting injuries to the infant’s chest, hands, fingers, feet, and toes. According to CBS News, Jenkins reportedly told police he dropped the baby on his head in a bathtub and that the neighbor’s dog bit the baby boy while he was in a car seat. Jenkins believed the dog bit the baby because the child was wearing a monkey suit.

The baby boy’s mother said she and Jenkins made up the story about the dog before calling 911, according to the criminal complaint.

She said Jenkins bit their son because he was crying. The father then didn’t want to take him to the doctor because of the bleeding bite wounds severe enough to soak through the baby’s clothing.

When police investigated Jenkins’ home, authorities found baby clothes and pillow cases with dried blood stains.

When Jenkins’ previous girlfriends were interviewed, they said that Jenkins has a history of violence and drug abuse, including the use of methamphetamine. One girlfriend told police that Jenkins had slammed a different son’s head into a car door and made verbal threats about hurting the children.

Jenkins has received numerous assault charges. His criminal history includes a felony assault charge in 2010. The man now faced up to 40 years in prison for the murder of the child.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first case of a man being jailed for biting his child in the Northwoods.

Just last May, a Superior, Wisconsin, man was jailed for biting his infant son multiple times. Byron Benson, 24, was charged with one count of physical abuse of a child with the intent to cause bodily harm. On May 12, 2014, police were called to a Superior residence on a suspicion of child abuse. When they arrived, they found a mother of a baby boy who had bite marks all over his body.

Benson said he had no memory of biting the boy. He said he must have “blacked out” for five minutes because of the baby’s loud crying or “the TV being too loud,” according to the Northland News Center.

Upon examination, doctors said that the baby had approximately 11 bite marks on his body.

For the abuse, Benson spent 12 days in jail and was put on two years of probation.

[Image via the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department and NBC]