April 14, 2011

James Rivera Sims, 23 Charged In 2 Year Old’s Death!

Rockdale Citizen news
written by Jay Jones
Wednesday April 13, 2011

CONYERS — Police identified the 2-year-old boy who died Monday and charged the mother’s boyfriend with murder in the child abuse investigation.

Cayden Allen was pronounced dead Monday at Children’s Health Care of Atlanta-Egleston from injuries suffered from alleged physical abuse. In a prepared statement from the Conyers Police Department released Wednesday night, police stated Allen was treated for brain hemorrhages at Egleston after his arrival there Friday. The hospital staff reported seeing suspicious bruises to the boy’s body before he died Monday evening.

As reported in The Citizen, James Rivera Sims, 23, was arrested Friday when police responded to an injured child report at 1078 S. Main St., Apt. B4. Sims told police at the time that the child hit his head.

Wednesday’s statement noted the incident occurred while Sims and the child were walking to the bathroom.

However, police said Wednesday that Sims’ account of what happened was inconsistent with the injuries seen on the child, and Sims was arrested and charged with one felony count of cruelty to children.

When officers arrived at the apartment, they found the boy unconscious and struggling to breathe. Allen was transported to Rockdale Medical Center and ultimately to Children’s Health Care of Atlanta-Egleston.

Allen’s mother was at work, and Allen was being watched by Sims, identified by investigators as the mother’s boyfriend.

Results from an autopsy Wednesday revealed the boy suffered from contact bruising on the right side of the skull, indicative of several strikes to the child’s head. The police statement added, “both testes were swollen and bruised.”

“Ultimately, Allen died from being beaten to death, and Conyers PD obtained a murder arrest warrant for James Sims,” the press release stated.

The incident is the second death stemming from child abuse incidents this year. It follows last month’s death of 3-year-old Edna Figueroa, who died from severe brain damage March 6 after allegedly being physically shaken the day before at her Conyers home.

1 comment:

R.R. said...

This is horrendous. The worst sort of crime is a violent crime against a child this small. It won't bring Cayden back but one can only hope this man's stay in prison will not be a pleasant one. My prayers out to the family of this child.