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Shelley Osterloh and Andrew Adams ReportingA one-year old baby was severely burned from the waist down and police are searching for the baby's father.
Doctors transplanted skin grafts on little one-year old Malicah at University of Utah Hospital today. He has third degree burns from his waist down. On Wednesday, the boy's father was babysitting while mom went to the gym. When she returned, the baby was moaning, but she says he assured her it was just the sniffles, he was okay. He wasn't.
Genoria Marsalis, Malicah's Mother: "He couldn't even cry. I mean, just moaning, he didn't cry."
A few days ago Malicha would playfully take the remote control from his mom's hand and run away with it so he would chase her. Now he's in the burn unit. His mother says the baby's father acted like nothing was wrong when he came home; they even watched TV together for a while.
Genoria Marsalis: "He stayed around for a little while and the just left. He just vanished."
She took a shower, then returned to change the baby's diaper.
Genoria Marsalis: "When I got ready to pull off his sock, I saw all that skin coming down there and I lost it."
The baby's skin literally fell off, his burns were so bad. An older sister, Bridgette, says there were other injuries too.
Bridgette Matthews: "And then he has three fingerprints in his forehead, so he was like held down 'cause his fingerprints are in his forehead. And then his hair is missing on the side, it's just gone."
Genoria says the baby's father has not been a part of their lives and she had no idea he might harm the baby.
Genoria Marsalis: "I want them to find him. I want him to go to jail for what he did to my baby."
Police are searching for 34-year old Eric Ison Jones and hope someone who knows him will tell where he is.
Sgt Rosie Rivera, Taylorsville Police: "He does know we are looking for him. We spoke with him, he said he was going to come in and never showed up."
Bridgette Matthews: "Just keep praying for us and if they see him, turn him in, call. That's what I want, his dad to be caught and my little brother to be able to continue with life and be a little kid again, and take the remote from us and run."
Doctors say it could be after Christmas before he can go home.
Anyone with information about Jones' whereabouts is asked to call Taylorsville police.
