In a tragic incident in Colorado, a man is facing serious charges after allegedly taking the life of his girlfriend’s young daughter. Nicholas Stout, aged 38, has been accused of fatally assaulting the 2-year-old after she reportedly struck him. This grave accusation has led to his arrest, where he now faces a charge of first-degree murder alongside a charge of child abuse resulting in death.

The child’s mother, Melissa Wayne, who is also 38, has been implicated in the case as well. Authorities have charged Wayne with child abuse resulting in death, adding another layer of complexity to this devastating case.

The sequence of events unfolded when officials from the Denver Police Department received a distressing call about an unresponsive child early on Sunday, January 18. Responders rushed to the scene at a residence on the 100 block of South Vrain Street, only to discover the young victim had already passed away. The heartbreaking discovery prompted an immediate investigation.

While Stout was apprehended on the same day as the incident, Wayne’s arrest followed a couple of days later, occurring on Tuesday evening. The charges against both individuals have sparked significant concern and have drawn attention to the critical issue of child safety within domestic environments.

Stout was taken into custody that day, while Wayne was not placed under arrest until Tuesday evening.

Court documents obtained by Denver ABC affiliate KMGH identified the victim as Valkyrie Erickson and provided additional details about the circumstances of her death.

In an interview with investigators, Stout reportedly tried to lay blame at Valkyrie’s feet, claiming that the child was a “dare devil” whose fatal wounds were self-inflicted.

“Nicholas [Stout] described Valkyrie as a ‘dare devil’ and stated that she liked to jump around on the bed,” police reportedly wrote in a probable cause affidavit. “During the time that they were trying to sleep on Friday night, Valkyrie started to jump over Melissa [Wayne], then over Nicholas [Stout] and was about to jump off of the bed. Nicholas [Stout] said that he put his arm over to catch Valkyrie and stop her from jumping off of the bed. In the process of grabbing her, she hit her head on the night stand/coffee table that was next to his bed.”

Stout also claimed that he was out getting cigarettes at about midnight the evening before Valkyrie was found unresponsive.

However, interviews with witnesses, including at least one individual who lived in the house with the family, belied Stout’s claims.

The housemate, who had been living at the residence for about a week, reportedly told police he “frequently” heard Stout yelling at Valkyrie, which was often followed by “slapping noises coming from the bedroom” where Stout stayed with Valkyrie and her mother.

“[The housemate] stated that between the hours of 11 p.m. – 1 a.m., on January 17, 2026, that he heard the yelling and screaming continue,” the affidavit states. “[The housemate] heard [Stout] say something to the effect of ‘You f—ing bit me’ and ‘I f—ing hate you.’ [The housemate] stated that it was a close proximity in time after those statements that ‘the baby’ stopped crying and everything went quiet for the rest of the night.”

Police said that every individual in the house “would normally avoid” Stout “because of his temper.” A summary of how others described Stout included the following: “Short fused,” “hot headed,” “unhinged,” “unpredictable,” “goes off the wall,” and “very aggressive,” according to a report from Denver NBC affiliate KUSA.

Stout appeared in court on Tuesday where a judge ordered him to be held without bond, local CBS affiliate KCNC reported.