The Peoria Police Department continues investigating the death of an eight-month-old Peoria boy. The infant, Antonio Carpenter Junior, was taken off life support last week after suffering severe head trauma. Assistant Peoria Police Chief Mike Eddlemon says it’s important for parents and caregivers to remember to seek assistance if they’re in a difficult situation with children:
“Walk away, call a friend. Call someone and ask them for help, ask them if they’ll come over. Every family member that we’ve spoken to in incidents like this, they’re always more than willing to have come forward and helped out. To my knowledge, there’s no child that’s ever cried themself to death,” Eddlemon says.
Eddlemon says police have conducted several interviews since the incident happened in June. The incident happened at the residence of the boy’s mother, Ashley Lohmen, and her boyfriend Russell Smith. Eddlemon says Smith was at the residence along with two four-year-old twins and Carpenter when police responded on scene. The boy’s father, Antonio Carpenter Senior, is also from Peoria