Jackson man charged in death of 4-year-old boy appears in court
JACKSON, Tenn.—A 4-year-old boy died after being left with his mother’s boyfriend, according to police. The man who was supposed to take care of the child now faces charges.
Darwin Reid appeared in Jackson City Court, Thursday afternoon.
Four witnesses took the stand recounting what happened to four-year-old Zion Croom. Investigators said he died on March 3 after his mother left the boy with Reid.
Zion’s mother testified in court saying she and a friend traveled to Union City on February 26. When she arrived home later that afternoon she found her son unconscious.
“How did he look? He…not normal. I could tell something was wrong so when I dropped to the floor and started screaming,” Renicka Croom said.
Crooms said Reid left her to take their friend home when she called 911, and that Reid was not there to tell EMS what happened to her son.
“We found the child laying on the floor of the living room. He was… hands and arms by his side. He had some vomit on his shirt and around his mouth that had dried, it looked like it had been there a while,” EMT David DeLoach said.
Zion was airlifted to LeBonheur in Memphis where he died six days later. His physician, Doctor Karen Lakin, said Zion sustained a subdural hematoma, which is commonly referred to as bleeding in the brain.
“We ultimately also knew from an opthalmological exam that he had pale retinal hemorrhages or bleeding behind the eyes. That combination together is suggestive without any history that without any history of significant trauma to explain it, is suggestive of abusive head trauma,” Dr. Lakin said.
Judge Blake Anderson sent Reid’s case on to the Grand Jury.
