Background: MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland (Google Maps). Inset: Wayne Burnett (Baltimore Police Department).
When a father at a Maryland hospital learned that his 3-month-old son died, he ran away, leaving his 2-year-old daughter behind, authorities say.
Wayne Burnett, 31, faces charges including second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a victim under the age of 13, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and neglect of a minor, per Baltimore County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The case was filed on Monday, though it stretches back nearly two years.
On Nov. 24, 2024, Burnett walked into the emergency room of MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, with his baby boy, the Baltimore Banner reported. The defendant said that he discovered his son "cold and unresponsive" and, despite turning up the heat in his home, found him in the same condition about an hour later.
Doctors pronounced the child dead just before 9 p.m.
Burnett also had his 2-year-old daughter with him, authorities said, noting that when the defendant was told his baby had died, he asked if he himself was in trouble. At that moment, law enforcement vehicles drove up to the medical center with their lights flashing.
The father allegedly ran out of the hospital, leaving his daughter behind.
An autopsy was performed on the baby by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which reportedly ruled on May 15 that the death was a homicide due to head injuries.
On Sept. 16, the Baltimore Police Department arrested Burnett in connection with his son's death as part of an "enforcement operation apprehending multiple violent offenders wanted in connection with crimes throughout the city."
A court date for Burnett was not immediately scheduled.