Investigators try to learn who fatally injured infant

CLINTON – Island County sheriff’s deputies are trying to determine who fatally injured a 3-month-old baby earlier this month.

Sean Douglas Reeves Hudson died of a skull fracture caused by a single blow to the head, Island County Coroner Robert Bishop said.

There are no named suspects and no one has been arrested, sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Smith said Tuesday.

“These are tough ones,” Sheriff Mike Hawley said. “He was as innocent of a victim as you find.”

Sean’s father awoke shortly after 8 a.m. Oct. 15 to find his son not breathing and started CPR, Hawley said. He was unable to revive the boy, who was declared dead at Whidbey General Hospital in Oak Harbor.

The injury likely happened about 24 hours before the boy died, Bishop said.

“Evidence indicates that the injury may have occurred prior to the father taking custody that night,” Hawley said, adding that there were no outward signs of injury.

The father, 24, was living with his mother, Sean’s grandmother, in the 6400 block of Lakeshore Drive in Clinton, Hawley said. He was caring for Sean and his 2-year-old son Oct. 14 and told deputies the baby appeared to be fine, Hawley said. The three fell asleep on the couch about 9 p.m.

The boy’s parents don’t live together, Hawley said. The sheriff thought the boys’ mother, 20, had custody of the children.

Child Protective Services doesn’t have any reports of abuse against Sean, said Kathy Spears, a state Department of Social and Heath Services spokeswoman. She wouldn’t say if there were any reports of Sean’s 2-year-old brother being abused. She did say CPS has removed the toddler from the home.

Hawley said detectives are waiting for the final report from the coroner in hopes of pinpointing the time of death.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 360-679-7323.

Reporter Katherine Schiffner contributed to this report.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.