Suspicious death of baby leads to indictment for murder for Tennessee man, police say

A 10-month-old baby was killed in September and now a grand jury has indicted a Tennessee man for the murder of the infant, officials say.

Around 2 a.m. on Sept. 16, the Bristol Tennessee Police Department said they responded to an apartment for a report of an unresponsive child.

Officials said the 10-month-old baby was later pronounced dead at Bristol Regional Medical Center.

According to authorities, there were “suspicious circumstances surrounding the death” of Elijah Hakeem Ramey, so the remains were sent to William L. Jenkins Forensic Center for an autopsy, the Times News reported.

After a lengthy investigation, detectives determined the death of Ramey was considered to be a homicide, police said.

On Nov. 17, Alexander Eugene Pender, 28, was indicted by a Sullivan County grand jury in the baby’s death, officials said.

Pender was arrested on Nov. 19 and booked into the Sullivan County Jail, police said.

He faces first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges, authorities said. He remains in jail on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to be in court again on Dec. 6, the Times News reported.