Man charged in death of Shelbyville toddler

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - Shelbyville Police Department has arrested a man in connection to the death of a toddler earlier this month .

The department announced Wednesday it arrested 30-year-old Nathan K. Barker in the 100 block of First Street in Shelbyville on three felony charges.

On Aug. 2, a 22-month-old boy died at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health after medics took him from a Shelbyville apartment the night before. When police arrived at the home the boy, Jasper Simpson, wasn’t breathing. The autopsy revealed the boy died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Barker is the boyfriend of the boy’s mother and he was alone with the child the day Jasper was taken to the hospital, according to the probable cause affidavit. The boy’s mother left for work at 10 a.m. and says her son was fine at that time. Just a few hours later, Barker called the mother to say Jasper fell off the couch and hit his head, but that medics checked him out and he was fine except for soreness and bruises.

Police investigators determined Barker never called an ambulance for the boy’s injuries.

Jasper’s mom reported the boy was sleepy when she returned home from work that day, so she fed him a Popsicle, according to court documents. But, the boy vomited as a result. She put him in his bed to sleep, but when she went to check on him he wasn’t breathing.

Doctors found Jasper had brain hemorrhaging, a lacerated spleen, abrasions on his cheek, neck and shoulder, and genital injuries. One doctor told police the injuries were “non-accidental,” according to the probable cause affidavit.

Barker is charged with Class A felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death, Class A felony battery resulting in Death and Class D felony neglect of a dependent. He is originally from Edinburgh but was staying with his girlfriend at the time of the boy’s death.

Other people who knew and visited the couple reported the boy wasn’t always treated well, court documents explain. One man reported seeing Barker smoke marijuana in the same room as the baby in the past.