The father of a 2-month-old boy has been charged with child abuse resulting in death after the child died from head injuries, the Arvada Police Department said today.
The suspect is identified as Brandon Vaughn Yancey Jr., who was arrested Saturday.
According to a 15-page arrest warrant affidavit for Yancey, the child had ruptured blood vessels in the area between the skull and brain; bruising of the brain; both new and old rib fractures; and bruising on the left and right side of the head, both sides of the chest and on the buttocks.
Police were called to the 8100 block of Estes Court in Arvada on Aug. 10 after receiving a call that a child in the Yancey home was not breathing.
Based on a subsequent investigation and an autopsy conducted by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, authorities believe the child died from what was termed “abusive head trauma.”
In the arrest warrant affidavit, investigators said that a number of witnesses who know Yancey believed him to be mentally unstable. They also said he was occasionally physically abusive towards his wife and sometimes used excessive force with his two sons.
In May 2008, according to investigators, Yancey — then in the Navy — allegedly texted his wife, Danielle, that he was going to come back from the Navy and force Danielle to watch him kill one of their children and then make her watch as he killed a male friend of Danielle’s and that man’s two children.
“After that he was going to force her to watch him kill himself so she would be alone and everything would be her fault,” Detective Kelli Scherer wrote in the affidavit.
According to friends of Danielle, Danielle Yancey was extremely concerned for the welfare of her children. Her friends felt Brandon Yancey was capable of carrying out his threats.
Police said Danielle Yancey filed for a restraining order but never followed up with it.
One neighbor reported that Brandon and Danielle Yancey were always fighting and having screaming matches in the middle of the street. The neighbor told police that she felt bad for the children who were “helpless” in a situation where their parents argued daily.
Paula Moton, Danielle’s mother, told authorities that while Brandon Yancey was in the military, he cut his wrists and sent Danielle pictures.
During a series of interviews with detectives, Brandon Yancey said that while his wife at work, he was sleeping with the 2-year-old when he rolled over on top of the baby in his sleep. When he awoke, he found that the child was not breathing, he told police.
“It’s the worst thing you could ever imagine,” he told detectives.
When Detective Scherer told him that the child’s injuries were not consistent with him just rolling over onto the baby, Yancey said he was being honest and wouldn’t lie, Scherer said.
Scherer said that as the questioning continued, Yancey’s voice became very high-pitched, and he cursed as he insisted he was telling the truth about the baby.
“I never got upset with him,” Yancey reportedly said. “I never do that. People who do that deserve to get their asses shot. Period.”
The Jefferson County district attorney’s office has charged Yancey with child abuse resulting in death and child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, both felonies.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
