Metro Police say infant suffered brain injury, broken bones weeks before death

A 33-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death Friday of his infant daughter, who had suffered brain injuries and multiple fractures, Metro Police said.

Justin Forsgren was charged with one count of murder by child abuse and two counts of felony child abuse and neglect, police said. Forsgren was booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police said.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the girl as 3-month-old Rayea Dawn Forsgren, of Las Vegas. An official cause and manner of her death have not been determined.

Officers responded about 11 p.m. Thursday to the 3700 block of Swenson Street, where they found the infant in distress, police said. She was transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center but died the next day, police said.

Police arrested Forsgren, the girl’s biological father and her sole caregiver at the time, after an investigation by Metro’s abuse and neglect detail, police said.

According to the Metro Police arrest report, Forsgren told police he had accidently dropped Rayea on her head and when she stopped breathing he tried performing CPR.

Forsgren acknowledged he had been smoking methamphetamine a day prior to the incident, according to the report.

Rayea’s mother was not home at the time Forsgren allegedly dropped and tried to revive his daughter, the report says.

The infant sustained multiple injuries, including brain injuries, retinal hemorrhages and factures to her legs, ribs, collarbone and head that medical examiners determined were more than 2 weeks old, according to the arrest report.

Medical examiners told police retinal hemorrhages, abnormal bleeding in the eye area, do not occur by being dropped or because of the administration of CPR, the report said.

Police ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555 or visit www.crimestoppersofnv.com.