KAELYN BRAY - 3 yo - Great Falls MT

A Great Falls man was arrested early Saturday morning
after allegedly trying to kill a 3-year-old girl who was on life support as of
late Saturday.Jerimie Hicks, 22, is being held without bond at the
Cascade County regional jail on the charge of attempted deliberate
homicide.
While police released few details about Kaelyn Bray's
condition, doctors told the family that the 3-year-old has severe brain damage
and a slim chance of survival.
"The evidence obtained at this point indicates the
suspect inflicted severe physical harm on this child," County Attorney John
Parker said. "There's still a substantial investigation under way."
An ambulance responded to 200 Glenwood Court at 1:24
p.m. Friday to a call that a dog knocked down the toddler. Police were soon
called to investigate after medical personal deemed the story suspicious.
The child's great-grandmother, Leona Ray, said Hicks
initially said the family's puppy bumped the toddler, who then fell down a
flight of stairs onto a landing before turning 90 degrees to fall down a second
flight of stairs.
Ray said she suspects Hicks' original account wasn't
the truth.
"It just couldn't happen," she said.
Ray said she also noticed an indentation in the wall
and asked Hicks, her granddaughter Jessica Bray's boyfriend, what happened. Ray
said Hicks told her that when he saw what happened to the child, he threw the
dog against the wall.
Bray's cousin, Joe Corey, told the Tribune that Hicks
changed the child in to her pajamas and put her to bed after she was injured. A
half hour later, he checked on her and noticed she wasn't breathing, which is
when he called 9-1-1.
Bray was working as a nurse at the Great Falls Clinic
at the time.
The toddler underwent surgery at Benefis Health System.
Corey said that during surgery, doctors discovered a blood clot in the toddler's
head and found the swelling to be more severe than anticipated, Corey said.
She is in critical condition in intensive care and has
been non-responsive. Corey said Kaelyn will occasionally take a breath on her
own.
Doctors will monitor Kaelyn Bray for 48 hours after the
surgery before deciding whether to take her off life support.
"It's so sad," Ray said. "At this point the only thing,
along with the doctors, that can save her is prayers."
Hicks, a member of the Air Force stationed at Malmstrom
Air Force Base, will be formally charged in District Court on Monday.
Investigators and prosecutors said the charges could be amended as the
investigation progresses.