JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — A Jamestown man was arraigned Monday on an eight-count indictment for allegedly causing the death of an eight-month-old child.
Sean Thomas, 26, is charged with Murder in the Second Degree, as well as other charges, in connection with the death of Aniyah Turk.
The Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office says Thomas allegedly strangled and shook Aniyah on April 22 and earlier, which caused "catastrophic and unrecoverable injuries". Aniyah was placed on life support before she passed away.
Thomas was arraigned in Chautauqua County Court and held on $1 million bail or $2,000,000 property bond.
“This is the second indictment arising from two baby deaths occurring in the City of Jamestown in April. It comes as the result of a comprehensive investigation conducted by investigators and juvenile detectives of Jamestown Police Department. Their efforts and professionalism deserve special recognition,” said Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt.
Last week, Matthew Nuttall, 26, is charged with manslaughter in the first degree and manslaughter in the second degree for allegedly causing the death of 16-month-old Isaac Benton. Investigators say Nuttall was watching the child at the time of the incident on April 13.
“Aniyah’s death is actually one of three occurring here in Chautauqua County during the month of April. The previous indictment charged Matthew Nuttall with Manslaughter in the First Degree and related charges arising from the death of 16 month old Isaac Benton. As I said when that indictment was unsealed, what makes this string of tragedies even more difficult to come to terms with is that April was National Child Abuse Prevention Month meant to spotlight the need for increased public awareness of child abuse and neglect. In all my years of criminal work, and before then, during my years as a child welfare caseworker in New York City, I have never seen this number of child homicides in such a brief period of time," said Shmidt.
Law enforcement officials say that if you suspect child abuse or neglect, you can report your suspicions by contacting your local police or calling the statewide child abuse hotline at 1-800-342-3720.
"Anyone who legitimately suspects child abuse or neglect can make a report, and may do so anonymously. There is no excuse for failing to act," said Schmidt.
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