A Maine father has been charged with the murder of his infant daughter during his first time caring for her alone.

Shawn Samuels, aged 24, was taken into custody on January 17 following the hospitalization of his 12-week-old daughter, Lyla, the previous day. Maine State Police reported receiving an emergency 911 call on January 16 regarding an unresponsive baby. Paramedics managed to revive Lyla and transported her to the hospital for medical care. Given the “facts and circumstances” surrounding the incident, detectives were assigned to probe the matter further.

Tragically, Lyla passed away on January 18, leading to charges against her father for murder and domestic violence.

As detailed in an affidavit obtained by the Bangor Daily News, Samuels was caring for Lyla after her mother, Leah Collins, had returned to work following maternity leave. Samuels informed the authorities that Lyla stopped breathing while he was feeding her. Despite his efforts to burp her, which temporarily restored her breathing, Lyla remained unresponsive.

The Boston Globe reported that a relative, during the 911 call, noted, “the father of this child is alone with the child for the first time.”

When police questioned Samuels about how he handled Lyla, he told them that he had not dropped or shaken her, or done anything to hurt her. He admitted to bouncing the little girl up and down on his knee and swinging her from side to side in his arms. Police asked Samuels if he could have injured Lyla by bouncing her, and he allegedly responded, “Yeah.”

An autopsy revealed that Lyla had four broken ribs, retinal hemorrhages, and bleeding and swelling in her brain. While a cause of death was not released, the medical examiner ruled the manner of death as homicide. The medical examiner told police that the brain bleeding was likely caused by “acceleration-deceleration.”

Samuels was initially arrested on Jan. 17 and charged with domestic violence elevated aggravated assault and two counts of violating bail. After Lyla’s death, he was charged with murder. He was booked into the Penobscot County Jail where he is being held on $250,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 13.

Collins’ family started a GoFundMe to raise money for Lyla’s funeral and other expenses.