A Horrific Crime Against a Baby, a 'Monster' Suspect

Authorities in West Virginia say a 9-month-old sexual assault victim has died. Jackson County Sheriff Tony Boggs said the girl died of her injuries at a hospital Wednesday, the AP reports. Benjamin Taylor of Cottageville was charged Monday with first-degree sexual assault; an additional charge is pending. Taylor is the boyfriend of the victim's mother but is not the child's father. According to a criminal complaint, the baby, IDed by WSAZ as Emmaleigh Barringer, had extensive bleeding and a body temperature of 90 degrees. The complaint says the injuries indicated a violent sexual assault, as well as shaking or striking of the face.

Taylor, 32, told deputies he took the baby to the basement of an apartment while doing laundry. He said he "blacked out" and didn't know how the baby's injuries occurred. Boggs says the mother hasn't been accused of being involved with the crime, and Emmaleigh's siblings appear to be unharmed, per WSAZ. "The only way justice is going to be served is if [Taylor] feels every ounce of pain that he caused her," a cousin of the baby's mother says, with KTRK adding the family is calling Taylor a monster. It's unclear whether Taylor has an attorney who could comment on the case. (More sexual assault stories.)