Mother and her boyfriend arrested after death of 4-month-old baby in Richland County

Two people have been arrested after the death of a 4-month-old child.

Richland County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that it has charged Philip Coker, 34, with homicide by child abuse and charged Cassandra Clautu, 27, with unlawful conduct toward a child. Both were being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center as of Thursday morning, per jail records.

The sheriff’s department said Clautu was the mother of the child and that Coker was her boyfriend.

Deputies responded to a local hospital on Sept. 6 after learning a 4-month-old baby had been taken to the hospital and was unresponsive. The sheriff’s department said deputies saw bruises on the baby’s arms, back, legs and ears.

The child died on Sept. 8, the department said in the release. An autopsy reportedly showed the baby had “an acute rib fracture, severe brain and eye hemorrhaging and multiple bruises about the body,” according to the sheriff’s department.

The department said Clautu told deputies Coker had been watching the infant. Coker alleged that he woke up and found the baby unresponsive and called EMS, deputies said.

“During the investigation, it was discovered that the baby also sustained injuries during an incident days prior,” the sheriff’s department release said. “Clautu did not seek medical treatment for the baby at that time.”