An Idaho man is in custody in Twin Falls, accused in the death of a 3-year-old former Carson City boy.
Lane Buddenhagen, 19, is being held in the Twin Falls jail on suspicion of felony injury to a child. He is to appear Friday morning for a preliminary hearing in Twin Falls.
According to the criminal complaint and affidavit filed in Twin Falls District Court, Buddenhagen stands accused of fatally injuring Rylee Whitehead, 3, while the two were home alone on Aug. 6.
Rylee's mother, Ally Fether, attended Carson High School and lives in Idaho. Her parents and Rylee's father, Jonathon Whitehead, still live in the area.
Court documents indicate police were called out on a report of a child falling from a bathtub in the home Buddenhagen shared with Fether.
The affidavit states that when the officers arrived, they found Rylee lying on the floor in a bedroom.
Buddenhagen reportedly told police that Rylee was in the bath when Buddenhagen stepped out of the room for a moment and "heard a loud sound."
"Buddenhagen said he went back to the bathroom found the 3-year-old lying on the floor unresponsive," the court document states.
At the hospital, a doctor told police that "the amount of trauma inside the child's head led him to believe the child had possibly been shaken," according to the affidavit.
Additionally, the doctor also noted bruising in the shape of hand marks on the child's upper arms and "a large amount of internal damage" noted in a scan of the boy's head, according to authorities.
"(The doctor) stated he believed the 3-year-old had been the victim of severe child abuse," the affidavit states.
According to The Time-News of Twin Falls, Buddenhagen previously was charged with domestic battery in May and was sentenced on an amended charge of disturbing the peace less than a month ago. He received a suspended sentence in that case, which is unrelated to the latest charges.
