MIDVALE, UT – A Midvale resident faces several felony charges after allegedly striking an infant’s head against an elevator multiple times while in his care. The Unified police department responded to an emergency call placed by the Road Home shelter on Aug. 25.
The 4-month-old girl, who was found unresponsive, was then transported to Intermountain Medical Center. Afterward, she was moved to Primary Children Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, where she is currently being cared for and relies on an incubator.
According to police, the infant’s mother, an employee with DoorDash, had entrusted the baby’s care to 28-year-old Zachary Walton, a family acquaintance. Walton reportedly lost his temper when the baby wouldn’t cease crying.
Walton admitted to the police that while in the elevator, he wondered how to make her quiet and ended up hitting the baby’s head against the metal corner of the elevator. Walton confessed that upon the intensification of the baby’s crying, he repeated the action more forcefully.
Police reports revealed that he took her to the roof, and when he discovered that the baby had stopped breathing, he attempted to perform life-saving measures, only to seek help from the mother and a bunkmate from the shelter after a considerable delay.
The delay was concerning as the baby appeared significantly paler when she was brought down into the shelter’s lobby compared to when she had entered the elevator. Further diagnosis revealed two skull fractures; on the left and right side of the baby’s head, as well as significant brain bleeds. Her medical condition remains critical, with considerations for Brain Death testing being deliberated.
Zachary Walton has been incarcerated in the Salt Lake County Jail. He was taken into custody on two counts of aggravated child abuse as well as one count of murder, all second-degree felonies.