The March death of an 11-week-old Louisville boy was ruled a homicide Monday by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
A coroner’s report found signs of “blunt force” head trauma and fractures of Jason Midyette’s skull, the report said.
The coroner also found that the child had numerous bone fractures that had started to heal before his death.
The parents, Alex and Mollie Midyette , brought Jason to Boulder Community Hospital on Feb. 24, but his injuries were so severe that he was transferred to Denver Children’s Hospital.
He died 10 days later.
Louisville police searched the Midyettes’ home in March, seizing computers, medical records, personal papers and marijuana paraphernalia. Police also seized records from Boulder Community Hospital and from the Midyettes’ family physician.
Neither parent has been arrested or charged with any crime, and Boulder attorney Paul McCormick told 7News that the Midyettes had not mistreated their son.
McCormick did not return repeated calls Monday seeking comment.
The autopsy was released more than four months after Jason’s death, but Coroner Thomas Faure said that is not unusual.
“Reports like this take time,” Faure said. “We will utilize whatever investigation efforts that are needed for an investigation like this.”
Faure would not comment on details about the autopsy because of the homicide investigation.
In February, the boy’s parents told doctors that the boy had experienced some seizure-like activity before he was admitted, the autopsy said.
Doctors at Children’s Hospital told police that the infant’s injuries “were not the result of any pre-existing medical condition or unusual medical pathology, but were instead caused by non-accidental trauma,” Louisville police said in March.
The autopsy found numerous injuries.
Jason’s face and head had several large scabs. Investigators found evidence of healing fractures in his toes, ribs, collarbone and lower leg bones.
Some of the healing fractures would fit in the two- to three- week time frame leading up to Jason’s death, but one rib fracture appeared to be an older injury, according an analysis by a Cornell University pathology professor who consulted on the autopsy.
Investigators worked to rule out that the boy had a pre-existing medical condition that would have contributed to the fractures. One potential disease they investigated extensively before ruling out was osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as “brittle bone” disease, which is characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause.
Boulder County District Attorney investigator Tom Bennett said the investigation is ongoing.
Staff Writer Joel Grostephan can be reached at 303-820-1201 or at jgrostephan@denverpost.com.
Staff Writer Manny Gonzales contributed to this story.
