JANESVILLE
A criminal complaint released Thursday does not make clear how a baby was killed in her home early Saturday morning.
The complaint gives more details of the horrific injuries the 15-month-old suffered and circumstances surrounding the incident.
It charges Steven M. Horan, 30, of 526 Eisenhower Ave., Janesville, with first-degree reckless homicide.
The complaint does not cite any information from Horan himself. Police said earlier that he had not admitted to causing the baby’s injuries.
Winnebago County, Illinois, Coroner Bill Hintz on Thursday confirmed the baby’s name, Jaylee Conaway.
Janesville Police Chief Dave Moore said Tuesday that Jaylee had been beaten, calling the incident a “violent assault.”
The criminal complaint describes multiple scrapes and bruises to Jaylee’s head and bruises to one arm that officers saw as they arrived at the Eisenhower Street address around 12:40 a.m. Saturday.
Jaylee was taken to Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center in Janesville and later flown to a Rockford, Illinois, hospital, where she was pronounced dead on Monday.
Horan was caring for the Jaylee at the east-side home he shared with Jaylee and her mother while the mother was at work Friday night, according to the complaint.
The mother told police she was working second shift in Jefferson, and she talked by phone with Horan “a couple of times” during her shift. She called again on her way home and could tell he had been drinking, according to the complaint.
She arrived home between 8:30 and 9 p.m. and saw Jaylee, covered by a blanket in her crib, and believed she was asleep, according to the complaint. She did not pick up the baby but went into another room to spend time with Horan.
The mother said she had a cocktail, Horan was drinking beer, and she told him to keep his voice down to avoid waking the neighbors. They argued, and he stepped outside for a short break, according to the complaint.
The mother said she then left the house for about 45 minutes to get cigarettes from a friend. Phone records indicate she returned around 11:30 p.m. She described seeing Horan lying on the bed with Jaylee on his chest.
“A short time later, the defendant got up and brought (Jaylee) to (the mother), and the defendant was crying and pacing back and forth,” the complaint states.
That’s when the mother said she realized something was wrong and took the baby from Horan and found her limp and not moving. She described tapping on her gently, but she did not wake up, according to the complaint.
The mother called 911 and “attempted to do CPR as directed by the dispatcher,” while Horan went out to open the door for police and paramedics, according to the complaint.
Police described Horan as “frantic” as they entered the home.
An officer found Jaylee, appearing lifeless on the floor, apparently where the mother had attempted CPR, and the officer immediately started chest compressions, the complaint states.
Another officer described the crib, which contained a baseball cap that appeared to have fallen from a nail on the wall.
“The crib was broken on one end, and the mattress was falling through the frame,” the complaint states. Blood stained the crib on the side that was broken.
An autopsy showed a probable cause of death of nonaccidental head trauma, but more tests are being conducted, Hintz said.
Horan has been in jail since his arrest Saturday. His cash bond was increased from $10,000 to $50,000 when he appeared in court Thursday. A preliminary hearing is set for March 20.
A family member has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help the family with funeral expenses.
Police have asked anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact them at 608-757-2244 or call Janesville Area CrimeStoppers, 608-756-3636.
