BAYLEE SCHOENWOLF - 18 months - Marion County FL

Marion Man Accused Of Killing 18-Month-Old

Posted: 7:05 am EDT July 15, 2009Updated: 8:02 am EDT July 15, 2009
MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A Marion County man is in jail Wednesday morning, accused of murdering an 18-month-old boy.

26-year-old Daniel Vanhorn was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Marion County Jail where he was being held for not paying child support.

Investigators say the deceased child's older sibling told them Vanhorn threw the toddler on the bed so hard that he bounced off the bed, hit the wall and died.

Vanhorn is being held without bond.

http://www.wftv.com/news/20058850/detail.html

Posted: 7:05 am EDT July 15, 2009Updated: 8:02 am EDT July 15, 2009
MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A Marion County man is in jail Wednesday morning, accused of murdering an 18-month-old boy.

26-year-old Daniel Vanhorn was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Marion County Jail where he was being held for not paying child support.

Investigators say the deceased child's older sibling told them Vanhorn threw the toddler on the bed so hard that he bounced off the bed, hit the wall and died.

Vanhorn is being held without bond.

http://www.wftv.com/news/20058850/detail.html

A man charged with third-degree murder of his girlfriend's
18-month-old son made his first appearance in front of a judge early
Tuesday.

Looking solemn and at times wiping away tears and
shaking his head, Daniel Anthony Vanhorn appeared before Judge Sarah
Ritteroff Williams.He could face 15 years in prison if convicted of a second-degree felony. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 17.On advice of his attorney, Chief Public Defender Bill Miller, Vanhorn, 26, declined comment. Bail was set at $50,000.The
little boy, Baylee Schoenwolf, was taken from his Belleview home to
Munroe Regional Medical Center, where he died, after he was found
unresponsive in his bed by his mother on March 20.Detectives
discovered the toddler had a bruise on the left side of his head and an
injury to his right earlobe. Following an autopsy and further tests,
the child's death was ruled a homicide as he died from blunt force
trauma.Vanhorn was supposed to meet with detectives to tell his
side of the story, but never showed up. Thursday, he was arrested in
Sarasota County for an outstanding warrant of not paying child support.Vanhorn is not the father of the deceased boy, officials say.During
their investigation, Baylee's older brother told officials that Vanhorn
threw his brother on the bed and that Baylee bounced off and hit the
wall.

The man charged in the death of his girlfriend's 18-month-old son has pleaded no contest to third-degree murder and child abuse.Daniel Vanhorn, 26, was sentenced to eight years in the Department of Corrections, followed by seven years of probation.He was arrested in July in connection with the death of Baylee Schoenwolf, whose death was ruled a homicide.
The child was found with bruising on his head and an injury to his right ear."He
picked the kid up, threw him back on the bed, and the child bounced off
the bed and hit the wall," said Donald McCathran, a prosecutor.The
third-degree murder charge stems from the circumstances surrounding the
child's injuries. The Medical Examiner's Office ruled the child died
from blunt force trauma to the head. A 5-year-old child who was home at
the time told authorities he saw Vanhorn pick up his infant brother and
throw him onto the bed."He did not die of natural causes," McCathran said. "Based on what the child said, (Vanhorn) was the only one there."Deputies
responded to a call March 20 at the Whispering Oaks Mobile Home Park in
Belleview. Vanhorn was alone with his girlfriend's two children. The
girlfriend, Schoenwolf, said she arrived home to find Baylee
unresponsive.The defendant has 65 days of jail credit time served.