Babysitter accused of shaking newborn baby to death in attempt to "calm him down

Thursday, August 27, 2026 - A one-month-old baby has d!ed after allegedly being forcefully shaken by a babysitter in Ohio, U.S.

According to WFMJ, the child, identified as Elijah Dennis, was initially placed on life support after he was allegedly shaken by the babysitter on August 5, 2026 later identified by police as Christian Jones, from Youngstown, Ohio. 

Speaking to the outlet, the child's parents, Fred Dennis and Jessica Zanni, said Jones, a family friend, was asked to watch Elijah while they stepped out to run errands. 

Upon returning to their home, the couple said they found their son unconscious and turning blue, per the report.

The couple told the station that Jones allegedly admitted to forcefully shaking the child because he was crying after they left.

"At that moment, we actually found our son in Christian’s hands, unconscious, blue from head to toe, purple in the lips,” Dennis told WFMJ.

Zanni told the outlet she realized at once that something was wrong with Elijah.

"When I picked him up, I said, ‘Why is he limp? Why is he limp?’” she said.

According to WFMJ's report, the suspect reportedly told police that the child had been coughing profusely before losing consciousness, but allegedly later admitted that the story was fabricated. 

Court documents reviewed by the outlet reportedly indicate that Jones admitted to forcefully shaking Elijah in an attempt to calm him down. 

When asked why he had not told the truth, he reportedly replied, "because I don't want to go to jail."

Dennis told the outlet that Elijah was placed on a breathing machine and was being fed through feeding tubes, adding that they were hoping that he would eventually wake up and be healthy enough to come home.

“Any time I talk about it, it brings tears because he should be home with us. He should be here, not up there. He shouldn’t be,” Zanni said when speaking to WFMJ. 

In an update published by the outlet on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the couple confirmed that Elijah had died at the hospital on Monday after being removed from life support.

The family said the baby's organs had begun to fail, and he was placed on a dialysis machine and began to swell.

Jones was arrested and charged with felonious assault (second-degree).

He was held on a $50,000 bond.