Autopsy performed in child murder case shows injuries inconsistent with fall.
News January 8, 2020 Daniel Prince
The state medical examiner has conducted an autopsy on five week old Noah Clark, as of Monday, January 6th. The child passed due to complications from blunt force trauma to the head. Although the final autopsy results will be unavailable for several more weeks, authorities report that the closed-head injuries may be inconsistent with that of a fall.
Noah Clark was taken to Tennova Harton Hospital on January 4th for what the parent’s claimed to be a “fall” as they stated the father tripped over a small toy at the top of the staircase, causing the father to drop the child.
The baby was transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for further treatment, but passed early morning on January 5th. Tennova doctors reported to police that the injuries the baby had sustained were far more severe than what is typically seen for a fall.
21 year old Gavin Clark was later arrested for the original charges of aggravated child abuse, but then received an upgraded charge of first-degree murder.
According to authorities, Clark is being charged with the death of his infant son, and neglecting to seek immediate medical treatment for the five week old child. Although premeditation is not included in Clark’s current charges, additional charges as the case progresses cannot be ruled out. Gavin Clark is set to appear in court January 28th, 2020.