BREMERTON — A South Kitsap man was charged Thursday with homicide by abuse for the death of his 5-month-old son.
Michael Rivera, 35, was arrested Wednesday by Kitsap County sheriff’s detectives, the Kitsap Sun reported.
The boy, identified as TTR in court documents, died Sept. 22 from homicide that was a result of “undetermined violent means,” according to documents filed in Kitsap County Superior Court.
Medics and deputies were first called to Rivera’s residence Sept. 16 after reports that the baby was not breathing. Rivera said he found the infant face down in the crib, court documents said.
Doctors at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma said they found “several fractures” to the boy’s jaw, ribs, collar bone and sternum that were in multiple stages of healing along with injuries to his abdomen.
Rivera admitted he has “grabbed” the boy, has been frustrated, can be “rough” and that he has limited experience with newborns, according to court documents.
Rivera and his wife were the sole caregivers for TTR, according to documents. To explain one injury, Rivera said his and the baby’s chins collided while they were alone, documents said.
After the injuries were discovered, another doctor, Elizabeth Woods, told detectives she evaluated the baby and found injuries that were “consistent with severe abusive head trauma,” detectives wrote.
Rivera remains in jail. It wasn’t immediately known if he has a lawyer.
