The mother of a 2-year-old girl who died in Denver over the weekend has been arrested and is now facing charges of child abuse resulting in death. Her arrest comes just days after a man identified in court records as her boyfriend was taken into custody on the same charge, along with first-degree murder.
Nicholas Stout — also spelled Nicolas in some court records — was arrested by Denver police on Sunday after officers responded to a report of an unresponsive child at a home in the 100 block of North Vrain Street.
Nicholas Stout
Denver Police Department
First responders attempted CPR on the child, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Denver judge denied bail to Stout, 38, on Tuesday. Later that night, Denver police said officers arrested the baby’s mother, 38-year-old Melissa Wayne.
As of Wednesday morning, a request for Wayne’s arrest report was still pending. However, Stout’s arrest report states that Wayne and several other people living in the home heard Stout yelling at the girl, along with sounds of slapping.
Melissa Wayne
Denver Police Department
Wayne told investigators she saw Stout strike the girl at least twice the day before her death, allegations he denied during interviews. However, he did acknowledge that he had “spanked” her once several months earlier.
Others living in the home described Stout as “short fused,” “hot headed,” “unhinged,” “unpredictable,” someone who “goes off the wall,” and “very aggressive.”
According to one detective, the girl had bruising in various stages “all over her body,” including multiple bruises on her head and back.
Wayne is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
The girl’s father, David Erickson, has launched an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs not paid by the state’s victim advocate fund.
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