Henderson man charged with murder in child’s death
Addison Weast was the kind of baby people loved to be around, remembers grandfather Chuck Weast.
"She was just beautiful. The best little baby you could ever want to have in your life," said Weast, 41, from Henderson. "She was always running around having fun, always happy, always smiling."
Addison was 16 months old when she died Friday at University Medical Center after suffering severe head injuries while being watched by her mother's boyfriend, Cody Geddings, Henderson police said.
Addison was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, de Lima campus, in Henderson on Wednesday and later transported to UMC.
Geddings, 24, was arrested and charged with murder on Friday. He was booked at Henderson Detention Center and arraigned Monday morning in Henderson Justice Court.
Addison's mother told police that Geddings had been baby-sitting and that the child fell from the crib. But police said her injuries were inconsistent with a fall.
Geddings "gave various explanations for the injuries," police said, but "none of them proved to be credible."
Weast described the injuries and the circumstances behind them as "pretty disturbing."
Doctors told the family that Addison had 12 skull fractures, Weast said, and suffered from shaken-baby syndrome, which is a severe head injury that occurs when a child is shaken with enough force that the brain bounces against the skull.
"It's a tough thing to deal with," Weast said, adding that son Charlie, Addison's father, is "hanging in there. He hasn't really had time to cope with it yet."
According to court records, Geddings was charged with felonies for burglary in 2003 and grand larceny in 2006.
He was charged in November with abuse, neglect or endangerment of a child, a gross misdemeanor.
Weast said the family isn't focusing on its anger toward Geddings; the grief is still too fresh.
"Right now it's trying to deal with the loss more than the reason why," he said.
A date for a memorial service has not yet been set.
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.
