TIFFIN — A baby who was abducted from a North Baltimore home and later found dead in a car crash was reportedly shot twice.
Jonathan L. Baker has been charged with aggravated murder and kidnapping, according to a joint indictment announced by the Wood and Seneca county prosecutors.
Baker allegedly crashed his car into a Tiffin house on June 27 while trying to flee from police.
It was initially believed that the 7-month-old girl died of injuries sustained in the crash, according to the prosecutors’ Friday press release.
“The preliminary results from the autopsy by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office determined that the infant was shot twice and died from the wounds,” the press release stated.
A warrant was issued by the Seneca County courts this morning for Baker.
“At this time, the sheriff is waiting on medical clearance for Baker to be released from the hospital,” the release stated.
The incident started with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office sending out an alert after Baker allegedly took the child in North Baltimore, while reportedly armed with a gun.
He reportedly contacted the child’s mother and told her he was feeling homicidal and suicidal and claimed he had killed the child.
Tiffin Police Chief David Pauly said an off-duty city officer spotted the vehicle and alerted department officials. The officer then began following the vehicle and provided colleagues with information about its location.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but authorities said the Baker sped up before driving off the road and through the front yard of a home. He then crashed into another residence, knocking it off its foundation.
Law enforcement officers broke out the car’s back window to get the infant, who was bleeding from the head and had “labored breathing,”
The child and Baker were both taken to a hospital, where the infant died a short time later.
Baker was later flown by helicopter to a hospital in Toledo, where authorities said he was in critical condition.
The Seneca County and Wood County prosecutors have agreed to a joint prosecution. The case will be prosecuted in Seneca County.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
