Baby at center of Nellis Airman abuse case dies
The 3-month-old boy who authorities said suffered abusive head trauma at the hands of his father, a Nellis Air Force Base staff sergeant, has died, the Clark County Coroner’s office said.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Leach of the 99th Logistics Readiness Squadron was facing one felony count of child abuse, neglect or endangerment with substantial bodily harm for injuries his son Aiden Leach suffered on Feb. 1, court documents said.
Prosecutors could soon upgrade those charges.
Aiden died just before 9 p.m. Monday. The Coroner’s office had not determined a cause of death for the boy as of late Tuesday morning.
During an interview with Las Vegas police, Leach said he dropped his son on a tile floor while testing the water for a bath he was preparing for the boy.
The boy spit up and his arms and legs stiffened, Leach told detectives. The infant then stopped breathing. The father ran around his home looking for a phone to call 911 before asking his neighbors for help.
“The defendant stated he believes Aiden’s injuries could be from him shaking to revive him,” Leach told detectives, according to his arrest report.
He also said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, alcohol and drug dependency and depression, the report said. In January, he completed treatment for mental health issues.
His unit, the 99th Logistics Readiness Squadron, provides management for vehicles, fuel and supply operations when other Nellis units are deployed.
Leach said he has had two other accidents with his son, including one in which the boy slipped from his arms and fell in the bath.
“The defendant denied causing Aiden’s injuries in any other manner than what he described,” the report said.
The boy’s mother, Kelly Leach, told detectives that she left the home to go grocery shopping, Aiden was smiling and laughing. Andrew Leach had told her he dropped the boy on the floor while checking the bathwater, Kelly Leach said.
She added, “The defendant has always been ‘rough with the baby’ but she tries not to say anything. Kelly (Leach) denied she has ever seen the defendant be abusive with Aiden but described multiple domestic violence incidents between her and the defendant,” the police report said.
A preliminary hearing was set for Thursday in North Las Vegas Justice Court in the abuse case, but it may be delayed because of Aiden’s death.
Andrew Leach remained held on $20,000 bail at the Clark County Detention Center, records show.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.
