A South Carolina man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter more than a year after he hugged a 14-month-old child so tightly that the boy stopped breathing and died, authorities said Wednesday. The suspect has been described as a family friend of the victim's family in a news release from Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell.
Robert Kemp, 27, was taken into custody by Orangeburg police Tuesday, and then released the next day on $10,000 bond, UK MailOnline reported. An arrest warrant stated that Kemp killed the child "by giving him a bear hug, squeezing the victim so tight that the victim stopped breathing as a result."
On June 27, 2013, Jaylen Harris died from asphyxiation, Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said. But it remained unclear why a year went by before charges were filed, with a spokeswoman for the sheriff claiming in an email that no more information would be released.
Kemp told deputies he was playing with the child when Jaylen started to rub his eyes like he was tired, so he put the toddler in his crib on his back with his bottle, according to an incident report. After realizing that he hadn't heard Jaylen while doing chores in the kitchen, he went back into the bedroom and noticed the toddler on his stomach, unconscious with his hands balled into fists, according to the report.
Another person in the home, whose name was blacked out on the report, started CPR, but the toddler could not be resuscitated, according to the report.
A woman who identified herself as Kemp's mother when she answered the phone offered to give her son a message that was not returned.
Meanwhile, to help cover the boy's funeral costs, his family has created a website at GiveForward.com, asking for donations. "Baby Jaylen Harris passed away in his sleep of natural causes. He was 14 months old. He was the sweetest, happiest baby you would ever meet. He was a blessing and a joy to this family," they wrote on the website.
If convicted, Kemp faces up to five years in prison, the Associated Press reported.
