5-week-old girl killed by dad who squeezed her with such ‘extreme force’ that her ribs broke
Background: The building in DeLand, Fla., that houses the Volusia County Sheriff's Office (Google Maps). Inset: Dajuan Patrick (Volusia County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida man is in custody without bond following the death of his 5-week-old daughter, whom authorities say he harmed.
Dajuan Patrick, 27, was arrested in Jacksonville on a Volusia County warrant charging him with aggravated manslaughter in connection with the death of Dahlia Siebenhaar. Dahlia, only five weeks old, died in December 2024 after being placed on life support due to severe injuries, according to a statement from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The allegations against Patrick came more than a year after Dahlia’s death. She had been admitted to the hospital on December 2, 2024, after being found unresponsive. Her injuries were so critical that she required life support. After failing to regain consciousness, Dahlia was removed from life support on December 12, 2024, and died.
Medical records and an autopsy indicated Dahlia had suffered “extensive head trauma, broken ribs, bruising across her body, and retinal hemorrhages caused by being shaken and held with extreme force.”
Investigators interviewed multiple people familiar with the infant’s home environment and concluded that Patrick frequently shook and spanked the baby. Authorities say he was responsible for the injuries that led to her death.
Patrick remains in the custody of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and is being held without bond. He is expected to face charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child in Volusia County.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, “This arrest will not bring Dahlia back or give her the childhood she deserved, but today we are speaking up for her because her life mattered.”
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