Charges filed against parents following death of infant

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison man has been charged in the death of his infant son. And, the child’s mother is facing a felony child-neglect charge.

Twenty-four-year-old Arkeem Ashley was charged Monday with first-degree reckless homicide in the May death of his 7-week-old son. The child’s mother, Esthefania Martinez, is charged with felony child neglect.

A criminal complaint filed in Dane County says Ashley told investigators he fell while holding his son, which is how the baby suffered injuries to his head and extremities.

Doctors say an autopsy, however, found indications of blunt-force trauma to the child’s head, neck, arms and legs, including some fractures, that appeared older and healing, the State Journal reported.

Two doctors from the Dane County Medical Examiner’s office watched a video of Ashley re-creating the fall he said he took with the boy and both found it inconsistent with the boy’s injuries.

Ashley and Martinez are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 28. Online court records do not list defense attorneys.