Authorities have identified the 6-month-old boy who died after his mother allegedly slammed him against a piece of furniture last week in west suburban Aurora.
Mason Jones was pronounced dead at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
An autopsy Friday found he died of head injuries caused by child abuse and his death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner’s office said.
His mother, 23-year-old Trivea S. Jones, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for his death, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.
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She was previously charged with aggravated battery to a child and aggravated domestic battery, but the state’s attorney’s office dismissed the initial case and authorized the murder charges after the Mason’s death.
About 5 p.m. on June 21, Aurora police officers and fire officials responded to calls of an infant who was unconscious and not breathing at a home in the 2000 block of Fox Pointe Drive, police said.
They arrived to find Mason lying on the family room floor and immediately tried to resuscitate him, authorities said. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, where staff found that he had a fractured skull.
He was airlifted to Loyola, where he remained on life support until he was pronounced dead on Tuesday, authorities said.
Jones, who was at home alone at the time of the incident, initially told investigators her son suddenly stopped breathing while she was feeding him, police said. She later admitted to slamming him against a piece of furniture and leaving him unconscious on the floor for some time before asking a neighbor to call for help.
She remains held at the Kane County Adult Justice Center on $2.5 million bail, according to Kane County sheriff’s office records. Her next court date was set for July 25.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is also investigating Mason’s death, according to spokesman Jassen Strokosch. He said DCFS has not had any prior contact with the family and no other children lived in the home.
