18-Month-Old Found Dead; Murder Suspect Arrested
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - An 18-month-old baby was found dead, possibly murdered, in a Maplewood home Thursday morning.
Police have arrested Leb Mike Meak, 35, on suspicion of homicide. Meak is a Maplewood man who is dating the toddler's mother but does not live with her.
The girl was found around 11 a.m. in a home on the 2500 block of Barclay Street. She had a number of bruises on her body and face and was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Even while investigators work to determine exactly what happened to this little girl, no answer will mask the tragedy of her death," Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell said in a statement. "Few crimes are more disturbing than the death of child at the hands of a caregiver."
Meak has been booked into Ramsey County Jail. Another man in the home was questioned and released.
The toddler's body will be brought to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.
Investigators are expected to present their preliminary investigation to the medical examiner on Friday.