In Texas, a 31-year-old man, Rick P. Artis, faces serious charges after allegedly causing the death of a 9-month-old girl earlier this year. Accused of fatally beating the infant and then deceiving authorities with a false name due to an existing warrant from a previous child fatality case, Artis is charged with injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily harm, as detailed in court documents.

On January 25, San Antonio Police Department officers and emergency responders rushed to an apartment complex on the 6100 block of Ingram Road following reports of an unresponsive baby, according to a KSAT report. Upon arrival, they discovered the infant had already passed away at the scene.

At the apartment, Artis, using the alias “Eric Artis,” spoke with a detective and recounted how he woke up around 10 a.m. to make formula for the baby. He claimed that upon reaching the crib, he realized the child was not breathing. In a state of panic, he allegedly alerted the infant’s mother. Artis insisted that the child had been healthy and unharmed when put to sleep the night before, the affidavit states.

The mother informed authorities that she had left Artis to care for her three children the previous evening, as reported by WOAI, a local NBC and CW affiliate. She mentioned that upon her return just before midnight, the baby appeared cheerful and stood up in her crib. After taking a shower, she found the baby asleep and joined Artis in bed around 3 a.m.

The next morning, the mother recounted that Artis woke her in a frenzy. Upon checking, she found the baby “cold and stiff,” confirming her worst fears.

While investigators found no initial signs of abuse, an autopsy two days later revealed the baby suffered at least one significant skull fracture from blunt force trauma, not an accidental impact. Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide.

The mother and Artis returned to police headquarters on Jan. 29 to answer additional questions. Prior to the meeting, investigators reportedly discovered that Artis had initially provided police with a false name. Investigators soon discovered Rick Artis had an outstanding arrest warrant in connection with an October 2018 case in which he was also charged with injury to a child.

In that case, a 17-month-old child had similarly suffered a fractured skull. The child reportedly died as a result of the injury in 2020. Artis is accused of striking the child, causing the fatal injuries, KSAT reported. That case was reportedly dismissed due to a missing witness, then subsequently reopened several months later. Artis is facing a separate charge for injury to a child in that case as well.

When confronted about the false name and outstanding warrant, Artis reportedly refused to speak any further without an attorney present. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.

Police later learned that on Jan. 25, Artis had called and exchanged messages with a paralegal about 30 minutes before he claimed to have found the infant unresponsive. He also allegedly exchanged messages with another friend about the infant’s death prior to alerting the victim’s mother and calling 911.

He is currently being held on a $1 million bond, records show.