TRENT WOODS — A baby who died Tuesday was killed by having an object lodged in his throat.
The main suspect, the boy’s father, shot and killed himself Wednesday as the investigation pointed his direction, police said Thursday.
Marine Cpl. Rodney Burton, 22, was found dead in his pickup truck outside a house on Camelia Road in Trent Woods, a small town outside New Bern, where his girlfriend lived.
Police said Burton was not a resident of the house on Banks Street where officers responded Tuesday to a call of an unresponsive child. The 11-month-old boy had a blockage in his throat. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Onslow Memorial Hospital, Jacksonville Public Safety Director Mike Yaniero said Thursday in a news conference.
Yaniero said the object — which he declined to describe — had been sent to a lab for forensic testing.
The object was a baby wipe, which was stuffed into the baby’s windpipe, according to a law enforcement official involved in the case, but who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Police initially regarded the baby’s death as suspicious, but after conducting interviews and collecting evidence, the case became a homicide investigation, Yaniero said.
Authorities have not released the name of the child.
Burton was interviewed by investigators Tuesday, before the case was upgraded to a likely homicide. Once police spoke to medical examiners, they sought to re-interview Burton, Yaniero said, but by that time he had taken his own life in Craven County.
NCIS assisted local authorities in the case. Joe Kennedy, special agent in charge of the Carolinas Field Office, said his agents always work well with the Jacksonville Police Department.
Kennedy said Southeastern North Carolina is no different than any other part of the country and that violent crime could be found anywhere.
Residents of the Banks Street neighborhood said they live on a mostly quiet road in mostly owner occupied homes.
The Kettle Diner, located on S. Marine Boulevard, is taking donations for the baby’s funeral.
Burton joined the Marine Corps in July 2008 as a Consolidated Automated Support Systems Technician. He deployed with the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 to Afghanistan in 2010. His awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and two Navy Unit Commendation ribbons.
Capt. Binford Strickland, the public affairs officer for II Marine Expeditionary Force, said the case is still under investigation and the Marine Corps is working closely with all investigative and medical authorities involved.
Crime Stoppers of Onslow County is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest or apprehension in the crime.
Anyone with information concerning this incident can contact the Jacksonville/Onslow Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273 or the Jacksonville Police Department at 910-455-4000. Callers do not have to reveal their identities.
You can reach Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lindell.kay@jdnews.com.