Infant burned; 2 accused of failing to seek medical attention for the child

JAN. 23, 2023 VIDEO UPDATE:

NATCHITOCHES, La. (KSLA) — A Memphis, Tenn., man is mourning the death of the infant son he never met.

“I never got to see him at all.”

Memphis, Tenn., resident Kenneth Davis got a call about his son Nateo Crenshaw, who lived with his mother in Natchitoches.

“I received a call from the detective saying that I was the legal guardian of my child, Nateo, and he told me my son had been deceased,” he said.

It was 4:22 p.m. on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, when Natchitoches police officers responded to a medical emergency at Natchitoches Thomas Apartments in the 500 block of North Street, authorities said. There they found the 1-year-old unresponsive. After attempting several life-saving measures, the child was pronounced dead by the Natchitoches Parish coroner’s office.

Now Damian Jewett, 27, and 23-year-old Jocelyn Crenshaw, both of Natchitoches, remain in the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center. They have been there since early the morning of Dec. 26, when each was booked on a charge of negligent homicide in connection with the death of Nateo.

The charge arises from each person’s alleged failure to seek medical attention for the child, Natchitoches police Cpl. John Greely told KSLA News 12.

“The child was burned and that’s what led to his death,” he said.

An autopsy has been ordered.

“That threw me in the loop,” Davis said. “It’s like I’m heartbroken, and it’s like I’m going through a traumatizing situation. I was really trying to battle to just see him and it’s like everywhere I go for help no one reached out to pull me up. And just to go through something like that, man, it just hurt.”

Davis said he never got to meet his son, which makes the goodbye harder.

“I have to get my son to Tennessee, and I’m doing funeral arrangements, so altogether it’s $5,000. I’m reaching out for help, so anybody that can donate, have a heart for me because I never got to bond with my son and now I have to lay him to rest.”

RELATED: 1-year-old dies; man, woman accused of negligent homicide

This investigation is ongoing, and the Natchitoches Police Department will release more details as they become available, according to a Facebook post the department made Wednesday evening.

Authorities urge anyone with any information about this case to call Detective Shermaria Lewis at (318) 238-3914.

You also can report a tip anonymously through Natchitoches Crime Stoppers. Use the P3 Tips app on your smartphone or call Natchitoches Crime Stoppers at (318) 238-2388. All tips remain confidential. The caller can receive a cash reward of up to $2,500 if the information leads to the arrest of an offender.

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