MUNCIE, Ind. (August 8, 2015) – After a six month investigation, detectives with the Muncie Police Department determined that the cause of death for a five-month-old baby who died in February was blunt force trauma to the head.
Police arrested the baby’s father, Cory Wallace, Friday, August 7.
Wallace, 23, of Indianapolis, is charged with six felony counts including:
- Neglect of a dependent resulting in death (Level 1 Felony)
- Aggravated Battery (Level 1 Felony)
- Battery on a child younger than 14 (Level 2 Felony)
- Arson (Level 4 Felony)
- Attempted abuse of a corpse (Lvel 6 Felony)
- Obstruction of Justice (Level 6 Felony)
The Muncie Fire Department responded to a large house fire in the 2400 block of Meeker Avenue February 10.
Upon arrival, the fire department found two adults and one infant at the residence. The baby died at the scene. The man suffered a burn to the hand, and the female was uninjured.
The infant’s parents told authorities that they were in their room when they smelled smoke and realized the nursery was on fire.
Investigators treated the incident as a suspicious death investigation.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Wallace was re-interviewed by Indianapolis police on August 7. During the interview, Wallace admitted to “accidentally” dropping his baby on February 10 on the hard wood floor. He told police he “freaked out” and didn’t know what to do, so he started a fire in the baby’s room. He told police he lit some paper on fire, and he placed the flaming paper on a blanket that was in-between a space heater and a rocking chair.
