Upgraded Charges Expected in Possible "Shaken Baby" Death
By: Julia Dodson
Updated: March 21, 2013
A Sebastian County father could face more charges in connection with the death of his 2-month-old son. On Sunday, police were called to Mercy Hospital when the parents of Benjamin Schutz brought the infant into the emergency room with injuries officers called suspicious. Police say the baby's father, 26-year-old Matthew Schutz, told ER staff that he had accidentally dropped his son while trying to change him. Mercy Hospital reported to officers that the infant's injuries were consistent with "shaken baby syndrome." The infant was later air-lifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock for more treatment. Then on Wednesday, Fort Smith police interviewed Schutz and arrested him on a first degree domestic battery charge. Later Wednesday night, the infant was taken off of life support after all other treatment had been exhausted. The infant will now be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy. Matthew Schutz is in the Sebastian County Detention Center on no bond while the Prosecuting Attorney's Office reviews the case. Upgraded charges are expected.
