Ky. Man accused of killing toddler: ‘disgusting crime’

A Kentucky man is accused of murdering an 18-month-old baby he was caring for after he suffered several serious injuries.

Police in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, say 20-year-old Terrance Corbin observed the child and 3-year-old on Jan. 7 in the absence of other adults, according to a press release sent to PEOPLE.

Police say that at 4 p.m., Corbin called the children’s mother and reported that the 18-month-old girl was not breathing properly. Minutes later, he allegedly called 911 and reported that the girl had stopped breathing.

“Our officers arrived on scene, immediately deemed the child in critical condition and transported him to (the hospital),” Chris Denham, public affairs officer for the Elizabethtown Police Department, said in the release. “She was then airlifted to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville.”

According to the release, the child suffered “significant swelling and bleeding” on the scalp and face, as well as a skull fracture and hemorrhaging. The child later died from his injuries. According to police, Corbin was arrested and charged with murder.

“A pediatrician specializing in child abuse stated that the child’s skull fractures were the worst they had seen in his medical practice,” Denham said.

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Police did not say what relationship Corbin had with the children’s mother.

I’m talking to WDRBDenham called the incident a “heinous, vile and disgusting crime.”

– How could you do this to a child? he apparently said. “I’m not sure.”

It was not immediately clear whether Corbin filed a motion or retained an attorney.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453 or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in over 170 languages.