Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VINEYARD — A Utah County couple has been arrested in connection with the violent death of their 4-month-old daughter.
Alexzander Sean Berry, 29, of Orem, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Thursday for investigation of child abuse homicide and two counts of aggravated child abuse. Myra Jane Megan, 24, of Vineyard, was arrested for investigation of aggravated child abuse.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon told reporters Friday evening investigators are still gathering facts in the case and are committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice, even if the alleged crime is unfathomable.
"We will never get the feeling, 'OK, I understand why.' ... Anybody who is or has been a parent has experienced frustration with a child for whatever reason, but most people don't lash out," he said. "It's frustrating. It's tragic, and there's an innocent little child whose — very likely — entire life was not much different than Wednesday afternoon, except Wednesday afternoon was a lot worse."
On Wednesday, officers were notified of a 4-month-old girl found unresponsive at a Vineyard residence. She later died at a local hospital.
Berry and Megan, the girl's parents, told police that they had put the girl down for a nap about 1:30 p.m. and noticed about 40 minutes later that she looked pale and was stiff to the touch, according to a police booking affidavit.
When medical crews began examining the infant, they said they immediately noticed severe diaper rash.
"The diaper rash was so severe that blisters had formed and in some areas the skin was peeling away from the body. It was apparent that the infant was not frequently getting her diaper changed and had not received any cream or medical attention for the irritated area," the affidavit states.
While some officers were at the hospital, others were at the Vineyard residence.
"I was told by other detectives on scene that the home was in very poor condition. The house smelled of urine and was filthy. The other children were undressed and dirty. It was later learned that nine people and two dogs live at the residence," the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit.
We will never get the feeling, 'OK, I understand why.' ... ... Anybody who is or has been a parent has experienced frustration with a child for whatever reason, but most people don't lash out. It's frustrating. It's tragic, and there's an innocent little child whose — very likely — entire life was not much different than Wednesday afternoon, except Wednesday afternoon was a lot worse.
–Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office
It's unclear if the other children in the home were biological relatives of Berry and Megan, Cannon said. He said he believed there were seven children in the home but is unsure of the ratio of adults and children among the nine people who were living there.
Law enforcement had previously been involved in what he believes to be a domestic violence-related call with the family, but more information was not available.
"It didn't take much observation to see that the residents were in horrible, horrible condition," Cannon said. "Beyond that, the investigation led us to find out that the child was not well cared for, for probably most of her life."
On Thursday, the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on the infant.
"The examination revealed severe blunt force trauma to the right side of the infant's head. The trauma was so severe that her skull had cracked in several places and there had been large amounts of bleeding around the baby's brain. This severe trauma was determined to have caused (the) infant's death," according to the affidavit.
The girl's parents were then questioned again by police. Megan told detectives that "Alex has had a history of anger issues and being physically abusive with her and the children," the affidavit alleges. "Myra stated that Alex had punched her in the face on at least two prior occasions and he was often excessively rough with the infant."
Megan then became emotional as she recounted that on the day her daughter died, Berry was in the bathroom with the infant when she "heard the most terrible scream that she had ever heard her child make," according to police.
When questioned by detectives, Berry "admitted to us that he had lost his temper and became infuriated with the infant. The baby had been crying because of the severe diaper rash and Alex could not take it any more," the affidavit states.
He then told police that he "aggressively hit her on the top of the head with a closed fist" and choked her as he put the girl into her crib, according to the arrest report.
Detectives had Berry demonstrate how hard he allegedly hit the infant but using a doll. The arrested detective noted: "I was shocked at the amount of force Alex used in the demonstration. Alex continued that after slamming the infant's head on the crib, he swaddled her and threw her forcefully into the crib area, causing her head to hit the wall."
Investigators say Megan was arrested because she "was aware of the abuse occurring in the home and permitted it to continue, subsequently ending in the death of her infant child. … Myra failed to intervene or render aid before calling 911."
Cannon said investigators are still evaluating evidence collected in the case, and matching it to the statements from the suspects. He said additional charges that weren't initially considered could be brought if prosecutors feel they are necessary to holding the perpetrators accountable.
"We obviously can't change the outcome here, but we can work to achieve justice for this young child," he said.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with Children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development,much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child's mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
