DES MOINES, Iowa – A 29-year-old Des Moines man already facing child endangerment charges while taking care of a child has been charged with the death of a child he babysat years earlier.
According to WHO-DT, 29-year-old Austin Johnson was charged with the death of a 4-year-old who died on Feb. 20, 2021. In the search warrant obtained by the station, Johnson had fallen down stairs while carrying the toddler, landing on top of the child. Johnson had initially told police that the child “had fallen and was unresponsive.”
Police said that Johnson’s actions led to the death of the 4-year-old.
Johnson is in jail on a separate case involving a child in his care.
In September, Johnson recently admitted to authorities that he shook a 5-month-old for several seconds, resulting in the baby being sent to a hospital. Investigators told WHO-DT that the baby had multiple brain bleeds.
