Father Arrested After 5-year-old Daughter Dies From Blunt Force Injuries After Being Beaten With A Belt

A man is now in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison after his five-year-old daughter died at an area hospital, according to arrest records obtained by WAFB.

East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Dr. William “Beau” Clark identified the victim as 5-year-old Summer Hawkins.

Officials with the Baton Rouge Police Department said they received a call from 23-year-old Aaron Hawkins around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 about his daughter being unresponsive after a fall.

Officers and EMS personnel responded to the 3000 block of South River Road and rushed the child to Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital.

Shortly after the child arrived at the hospital, she was pronounced dead at 4:07 p.m., arrest records state.

Arresting officers wrote in the affidavit that hospital staff observed: “severe bruising and trauma which was not consistent with an accidental fall.”

Authorities said homicide detectives were then called to the scene.

Investigators with the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office examined the child’s body and observed severe bruising on the buttocks, both upper legs, hips, back, and both forearms, according to the probable cause affidavit.

“Minor swelling and bruising [were] also observed on the left eye and chest,” the arrest report said.

An official with the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office said the child’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of death was a homicide.

Investigators said they interviewed a witness who said Hawkins would hit the child with a belt as a form of discipline.

The witness also told authorities she had to intervene in the last week while Hawkins was excessively hitting the victim, according to the arrest report.

Detectives said in the arrest report that Hawkins admitted to hitting the victim on multiple occasions recently.

Hawkins was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on the charge of cruelty to a juvenile.