Maine State Police say a 12-week-old baby girl died after emergency crews were called to a home in Orrington, Maine, for a report that an infant had become unresponsive, and that the child’s father is now facing a murder charge.
In a public statement, police said the Penobscot Regional Communications Center received a 911 call on the morning of Friday, 16 January, reporting that the infant had become unresponsive. Orrington Fire and Rescue, Brewer Fire Department and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded and provided aid before the baby, identified by police as Lyla Samuels, was taken to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Police said the circumstances prompted the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North to take over the investigation. On Saturday, 17 January, detectives arrested Lyla’s father, 24-year-old Shawn Samuels of Orrington, on charges of domestic violence elevated aggravated assault and two counts of violation of bail.
Detectives later learned the baby had died on Sunday, 18 January, according to state police. An autopsy was conducted at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta the following day. Police said the cause of death was “tentative pending final testing” but that the manner of death was ruled a homicide. After the autopsy, detectives arrested Samuels on a murder charge at the Penobscot County Jail, where police said he remained in custody.
State police said Samuels’ initial court appearance was scheduled to take place at the Penobscot County Judicial Center in Bangor via Zoom on Wednesday, 21 January. In its statement, police described the case as an isolated incident with no ongoing public safety concerns and asked anyone with information to contact Det. Dana Austin through the Maine State Police.
Local coverage of the investigation has largely tracked the timeline set out by state police, with news outlets reporting that responders were called to the home after the baby was found unresponsive and that the child was taken to hospital in Bangor. WGME, a CBS affiliate in Maine, reported that Samuels was initially arrested on the assault and bail-violation charges before the murder charge was added after police learned the baby had died.
Further details about the ruling by the medical examiner have also been echoed in local reporting. Spectrum News quoted Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss as saying the cause of death remained tentative pending further testing, while the manner of death had been ruled a homicide, and that Samuels had been charged with murder while already being held at the county jail.
National reporting on the case has included additional information from court proceedings and documents referenced by local media. People reported that Samuels entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance on 21 January and that bail was set at $250,000, with a next court date reported as 13 February. The magazine also reported that first responders performed CPR at the home and that a relative, during a separate call while responders were en route, told dispatchers that the father was alone with the baby for the first time that day, attributing that detail to separate reporting.
People also reported that an autopsy document reviewed by the Bangor Daily News described Lyla as having multiple serious injuries at the time of her death, including broken ribs, retinal haemorrhages and brain swelling. The magazine said the chief medical examiner concluded the brain bleeding was consistent with an acceleration-deceleration injury and would not have occurred in a healthy baby, citing that report.
The Bangor Daily News, in its own reporting, described Lyla’s death as resulting from multiple injuries and said information about the injuries appeared in a probable cause affidavit referenced by the outlet. The newspaper also reported that during Samuels’ first court appearance a judge set bail at $250,000.
As the criminal case proceeded, friends and family described Lyla in public tributes and interviews, with some of those remarks repeated in reporting. The Bangor Daily News quoted Lyla’s mother, Leah Collins, describing her daughter as “a gift from God, returned to Heaven much too soon,” and spoke about the baby’s short life and routines. Collins told the newspaper Lyla was born prematurely, grew quickly and “amazed even her pediatrician with her strength and attentiveness,” and said strangers often stopped to admire her.
In the same article, Collins was quoted describing how Lyla “knew how to pull on her mom’s heartstrings” and how her “smiles, grunts, giggles, and coos brought joy to all who knew her.” The newspaper reported that Collins spoke about taking Lyla to see family, attending church and running everyday errands, and described her as attentive and sweet.
People reported that other family members also posted tributes on social media, including messages mourning Lyla and expressing love for her, and said a GoFundMe fundraiser had been set up to support the family with funeral and related expenses.
Maine State Police included a domestic violence support message in their public release, directing victims and those seeking help to the statewide domestic violence helpline, while emphasising that the investigation remained ongoing and that more information would be released when available.
The case now sits at the intersection of a homicide investigation and court proceedings that will determine how prosecutors say Lyla was injured and what evidence they will present against her father. Police have not publicly detailed the circumstances they believe led to the infant becoming unresponsive, beyond stating that detectives were called in due to the facts of the case and that the medical examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide.