Family's plea for help after baby thrown off balcony
The family of a baby killed after allegedly being thrown from a balcony by her father has appealed for help following their devastating loss.
Seven-week-old baby girl, London Martin, was born on August 26 and died just weeks later on October 24 from blunt force head trauma, a coroner confirmed, according to News 3 Las Vegas.
Her 32-year-old dad Clarence Martin Jr was arrested in Las Vegas, in the United States, on Saturday and faces several charges including open murder and first-degree arson.
Emergency crews arrived at the second-storey apartment about 3.40am after being contacted by London’s mum - Mr Martin’s fiancee - to find the baby critically injured and the home partially on fire.
After London was thrown onto the asphalt below, a fire was set inside the apartment and her dad allegedly left the scene and tried driving to the Las Vegas airport.
He was allegedly involved in two collisions before getting to the airport, where police arrested him.
Police said he and the baby’s mum had been arguing and that she was holding the fatally injured infant in the apartment complex car park when officers arrived.
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He was reportedly taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries from the crashes and for evaluation of drug use.
The fire caused significant damage to the apartment and was believed to have caused the death of a dog that was found caged inside the living room.
A neighbour reportedly tried performing CPR on London before she was taken to hospital, where she was soon after pronounced dead.
Her family have expressed their deep sadness over her death, describing her a “beautiful little princess” in a GoFundMe established to help pay for her unexpected funeral costs and to support her grieving mum.
“It is with extreme sadness our family is needing to reach out, so we can properly bury our precious seven-week-old baby girl London,” the page reads.
“We were completely blindsided and are still in shock this is even a reality. Our sweet London was horrifically taken from us, and all at once, all our lives have been changed forever.”
London’s mum would not only be losing her wage while she processed her loss, but would also need to find somewhere new to live due to the severity of the house fire.
‘Hadn’t slept or eaten in days’
“Rest In Heaven our precious baby London. You will always hold a special place in all our hearts. You were treasured and loved before we even knew you sweet baby girl,” the fundraiser says.
“Even if for only a short time, you were our beautiful little princess. Our hearts are completely broken. London was a happy, healthy baby girl.”
More than $7,500 USD has been raised of the page’s $9,000 USD target in just one day.
Martin Jr is due to face court on Tuesday and is expected to have an attorney appointed to represent him.
According to a police report, Martin told London’s mum he had mental issues in the past, which she hadn’t noticed until the three days leading up to their baby being killed.
She also said her partner had not eaten or slept in the three days beforehand.
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