Sheriff Gerry Bustos said the baby's grandmother was charged after another child in her home daycare allegedly inflicted injuries that killed four-month-old Darien Watkins.
Bustos made the announcement at an 11 a.m. news conference Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
Four-month-old Darien Watkins was unresponsive when emergency workers answered a 911 call to his grandmother’s home on North Shore Drive, in Moline, March 2, 2015. Darien reportedly had a fractured skull, broken ribs, and bit marks consistent with a child’s mouth. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and airlifted to Peoria that same day, and he died.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services confirmed Darien’s grandmother, 78-year-old Beverly James, was being investigated in connection with Darien’s death. James has previously also provided daycare in her home.
Eight days later, Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos said Darien “did not die of natural causes,” as he explained family members were interviewed after Darien died.
Other children were in James' home when Darien was found unresponsive there, Bustos said, as he alleged that another child - under the age of 5 - inflicted the injuries that ultimately killed Darien. Bustos confirmed the bite marks found on the baby, and he added a chrome bar with the other child's fingerprints on it was believed to be involved in the incident. The bar was part of a disassembled baby swing. The other child was believed to be the only other person in the room when Darien was injured.
Online jail records showed 78-year-old Beverly James was released from the Rock Island County Jail after bond was posted Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Bustos confirmed James was arrested at about 4:20 p.m. Tuesday after she was charged with one felony count of endangering the life and health of a child. James was released at about 6 p.m. after she posted $10,000 bond, Bustos said.
