Abused baby's last days are outlined

      An infant who died last month from a skull fracture had severe bruises on her leg and head shortly after her mother began dating an airman at Nellis Air Force Base, a grieving relative of the baby said Thursday.
      At a preliminary hearing in Justice Court, the infant's great aunt, Coleen Weir, said she suspected in early April that 18-year-old airman Brandon Parish was abusing Samantha Storm.
      The 21-month-old girl died April 18. Her mother, 20-year-old Dawn Lavice Mathiasen, has been charged with second-degree murder. Parish has been charged with murder by child abuse.
      At a hearing Thursday, Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith heard testimony from Weir and Chantell Williams, owner of a licensed day-care center that cared for Samantha from the time she was 3 months old until just before her death.
      Based on the hearing, which will be continued on May 29, Smith will decide whether there is enough evidence to try Mathiasen and Parish in District Court.
      Weir broke down in tears several times as she recalled the events that led to Samantha's death. In late March, shortly after Mathiasen began dating Parish, Weir said she noticed a large bruise on the infant's thigh. Several days later, Samantha had bruises "on her ear and around her head," Weir said.
      Mathiasen said she thought the injuries were caused at the infant's day-care center, Weir said. But Weir, who often baby-sat for Samantha, had trouble believing that.
      "I said, 'No kid did this.' Somebody hit her," Weir testified.
      Throughout the hearing, Mathiasen bowed her head and appeared to wipe away tears, while the thin, clean-cut Parish studiously took notes. Both were in handcuffs.
      Weir said Mathiasen called her hours before the infant's death and said something was terribly wrong. Weir rushed to Mathiasen's house and saw Samantha lying on the floor.
      "I went up to her, and her eyes were open and they were dilated and there was froth coming out of her mouth. And I said, 'What the hell happened to her?' " Weir said before losing her composure. She said Mathiasen stood motionless by the bathroom door as her daughter lay on the floor.
      Weir said she took the baby to her house, which was near Mathiasen's, and called an ambulance. Doctors, however, were unable to revive Samantha.
      Williams, the day-care provider, also said she began noticing Samantha's injuries in late March. On April 10, after seeing Samantha's facial bruises, Williams said she insisted Mathiasen take the infant to a doctor.
      Mathiasen was warned by police officers about one week before her daughter's death to keep the baby away from Parish. After Samantha's death, Mathiasen conceded she did not heed that advice.
      Prosecutors said they will try to show that Mathiasen tried to cover up her boyfriend's abuse and was therefore partly responsible for Samantha's death. A motion to reduce Mathiasen's bail from $150,000 was denied.