Dexter man arrested on murder charges
DEXTER -- A Dexter man has been arrested on murder charges after the death of his six-month-old son.
According to the Scott County Sheriff's Department, Jeremy A. Whittemore, 23, of Dexter was arrested on a warrant for endangering the welfare of a child and first degree murder. Bond was set at $750,000 cash and he remains in jail at this time.
The Dexter Police Department and the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department began investigating suspicious injuries to the child on Dec. 2, 2003.
The initial call came through 911 as an unresponsive baby. The child was initially transported to Southern Missouri Health Care in Dexter and then transported to Children's Hospital in St. Louis. The child died Dec. 5 as a result of the injuries.
During the investigation, the injuries to the child were consistnent with "Shaken Baby Syndrome." Further investigation revealed unreported, prior injuries to the child in different stages of healing.