CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – A 2-year-old boy is dead and a Christiansburg man is in custody after an incident Friday night, according to police.
Update, 6:15 p.m.:
10 News is learning more about 25-year-old McKenzie Hellman, the man charged with felony child abuse in the case. A man who said he lives with Hellman said the boy was Hellman's girlfriend's child and they all lived together in the home where the incident happened.
Neighbors told 10 News Hellman has a child of his own, who's around age 3 or 4 and has spent a lot of time at their Zinc Lane home, and Hellman hasn't had any issues being around his child or others. They're not aware of any previous incidents and are surprised to hear he's accused in the case.
Original story:
At about 9:15 p.m., police and rescue personnel responded to a call in reference to a child who had fallen and was unresponsive at a residence in the 400 block of Zinc Lane.
Officers arrived to find a 2-year-old boy lying unresponsive on the floor, according to police.
Officers and rescue members immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and after several minutes, police say a heartbeat was detected and the child was taken to LewisGale Hospital Montgomery and later airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
The child, whose name is not being released at this time, remained unresponsive throughout the weekend before he died at 7:40 p.m. Sunday.
The police investigation revealed the injuries were not consistent with a fall, as described in the initial report.
McKenzie Kyle Hellman, 25, of Christiansburg, has been charged with one count of felony child abuse.
Hellman, who is not related to the child, was watching the boy at the time. He is currently being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail.
Police say additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.