Iowa man charged with murder after girlfriend's 4-month-old suffers brain bleed and dies

A 21-year-old Iowa man has been accused of killing his girlfriend's 4-month-old baby. 

Johnny Dale Jr. of rural Sigourney was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with child endangerment resulting in serious injury, according to a news release from the Department of Public Safety. The boy died in a Des Moines hospital Friday and the charge has been upgraded to first-degree murder, according to the DPS.  

Dale is being held in Mahaska County Jail for the felony charge on a $1 million bond. The man, who police say is the boyfriend of the child's mother, faces a life sentence in prison if convicted. 

The Oskaloosa Police Department and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation have been looking into the injuries and death of 4-month-old Kane Burns ever since the baby was found unresponsive June 16, the release states.

The Oskaloosa boy's mother discovered the injured child early that Sunday morning inside their home in the 1700 block of Pella Avenue, according to the police report. Burns was taken to the Mahaska County Hospital and airlifted to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.

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Medical professionals told officers the baby suffered damage to his spinal cord and head and had a brain bleed. The injuries were consistent with child abuse, according to the criminal complaint from Oksaloosa police. 

"(On Friday) Kane died as a result of the injuries inflicted upon him by Mr. Dale, who was the primary caregiver for Kane on June 16," the DPS release states.

Dale was alone with the small child from 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 15 until 2 a.m. Sunday, June 16, police say. The boy's mother said he was his "happy-go-lucky" self when she left for work Saturday night, the complaint states.

When she returned home about 2 a.m. Sunday, she saw her child had a bruise on his forehead, was pale and would not wake up. She wanted to get the baby checked out, but Dale refused and told her to wait until the following day, police say.

The complaint says Dale told investigators he was "frustrated with the baby during the night."

"The defendant made admissions that he was 'bouncing' the baby on an air mattress in an attempt to get the baby to sleep," the complaint states. "The defendant acknowledged that his actions likely caused the injuries to (Burns)." 

Dale will be assigned a public defender, court records show, and will have a preliminary hearing in the case at 2:30 p.m. Friday. 

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at 515-284-8378, tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.