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Authorities focus on people who were with baby Friday
By D.A. WILKINSON
SALEM
Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron said Tuesday his office is focusing its attention on the people who were in an apartment when something happened to a 7-month-old boy.
Derek A. Dennison died at Salem Community Hospital’s emergency room early Friday. The child was in an “unresponsive” state when he was arrived at the hospital. Efforts failed to revive him, and he was pronounced dead.
Herron previously asked Salem Police Chief Robert Floor to treat the death as a homicide investigation.
At a service Monday at Lisbon Cemetery, the mother of the boy, Miranda Todd, 22, of North Ellsworth Avenue, gave authorities the name of a man she said was Derek’s father.
An obituary had named another man as the father.
The prosecutor said that parentage “is not an issue for us.”
Herron said his office’s investigation is focusing on the three people in the apartment before the child was taken to the hospital. One was Todd.
Herron said a man and a woman were also in the apartment. Their names were not released.
“We’re talking to people in the hope someone can shed more light on this,” the prosecutor added.
Floor said his officers were also going to interview the people who were in the apartment.