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MILLCREEK — A 17-month-old toddler who died after his stepfather claimed he found him floating face down in a bathtub, likely suffered injuries inflicted by the stepfather and may not have even been in the bathtub at all, police say.
Codey Levi Jolley, 28, of Millcreek, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; and child abuse, a second-degree felony.
Doctors believe that Ethan Antes didn't die from drowning, but rather "as part of an ongoing pattern of child abuse or inflicted injuries caused by another person," according to charging documents.
On April 29, Jolley called 911 and reported finding his stepson, Ethan, face down in a bathtub with about a foot of water. Jolley told detectives that he had left Ethan in the bathtub at his apartment, 362 E. 4115 South, sitting in an upright position while he went to the kitchen to check on his food.
Jolley told investigators that he had left Ethan alone for only 20 seconds at most. But doctors said based on the types of injuries Ethan sustained, that wasn't possible.
"(Ethan) was essentially dead when the first responders arrived, which means that there was some event that caused a sudden and massive collapse," charging documents state. "Dr. (Antoinette) Laskey said that it would be highly unlikely for a 17-month-old baby to suddenly die and that (Ethan) should have been revivable and not in such dire condition if he was only under water for 15 to 20 seconds.
"The fact the baby's hair and body was dry when initial responders arrived, and that the tub was dry makes Jolley's story even more unlikely," the charges state.
Doctors noted that strangulation is a more plausible cause of death, given the nature of Ethan's injuries.
While investigating the death, police also learned of two prior incidents in which Ethan was injured but police were not notified. In each case, Jolley was the only person present when the accidents happened, according to detectives.
When detectives interviewed Jolley, they said they learned of at least two other incidents in which Ethan was recently injured.
About three weeks before the incident that took his life, Ethan had scalding coffee spilled on his head and upper torso, causing first- and second-degree burns, police wrote in the report.
A day before Ethan was allegedly found in the tub, Jolley told police that the boy "fell from his high chair, striking his head on the table, causing bruising to the right side of his face. Again, Codey was the only one present with the child," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.
Ethan's mother told prosecutors that the child had become "accident prone" since the coffee incident and was very "clingy" to her, according to the charges. He cried when she left for work and "wouldn't stay in the bathtub, he hated to have water over his head or on his face" and would often scramble to get out of the tub, the charges state.
When Jolley called 911, he could not give dispatchers a street address for his apartment, and then initially gave officials the wrong apartment number, according to the charges. When emergency crews eventually found the right apartment, they found Jolley sitting on a bed and Ethan lying in a hallway. Jolley was not wet, the charges state.
Paramedics worked on Ethan for approximately 40 minutes before getting a faint pulse and sending him to the hospital. Although he was declared dead on May 1, paramedics said they lost his pulse while en route to the hospital and never regained it.
