County prosecutor wants death of baby treated as a homicide

By D.A. WILKINSON

wilkinson@vindy.com

SALEM

Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron has asked Salem authorities to treat the death of a baby boy as a homicide.

“Based on the preliminary findings represented to us by the coroner in the county and the Cuyahoga County coroner’s office, we have asked the Salem police department to handle this as a homicide investigation,” Herron said Monday.

Seven-month-old Derek A. Dennison died at Salem Community Hospital’s emergency room early Friday.

He was taken there by his mother, Miranda Todd, 22, of North Ellsworth Avenue.

Salem Police Chief Robert Floor said the boy was “in an unresponsive state.” Efforts to revive the boy failed, and he was pronounced dead.

Herron said that the additional information collected over the weekend by investigators from his office and the Columbiana County Department of Job and Family Services is part of the investigation.

Herron said that information was part of what he described as an active investigation.

Floor said he was awaiting information from the Cuyahoga coroner’s office, which does autopsies for other counties including Columbiana County.

The chief assigned Sgt. Chris Gallo and Patrolman Brad Davis, the juvenile officers for the department, to handle the investigation.