An Augusta County man, Blake Matthew Clark, 25, of Verona, has been charged with murder in connection to the death of his infant child.
Clark was initially arrested on May 20 on a felony child abuse and neglect charge, but the charge was upgraded to murder on Sunday. He remains in custody at Middle River Regional Jail.
The tragic incident began on May 17 when a 911 call reported an unresponsive, non-breathing infant at a residence on Meade Park Circle in Verona. Emergency responders from the Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad and Augusta County Fire and Rescue performed life-saving measures, successfully resuscitating the infant before transporting him to Augusta Health. The infant was later airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center.
A joint investigation involving medical staff, law enforcement, and Child Protective Services found the infant had sustained life-threatening injuries consistent with physical harm. Investigators determined that the infant was in Clark’s care when the injuries occurred.
On May 20, the infant was taken off life support and pronounced deceased at UVA Medical Center.
