Police charge woman with murder of infant

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    LECLAIRE, Iowa (Quad-City Times) — A woman facing a murder charge in relation to the 2020 death of a 5-month-old girl in LeClaire allegedly told police shortly before the baby died that she dropped the child while carrying her.

Angela Marxen, 55, of Davenport, is charged with first-degree murder, child endangerment resulting in death, and misdemeanor child endangerment, according to the LeClaire Police Department and Scott County court records.

LeClaire officers were initially called on the afternoon of Feb. 5, 2020, for a report of an infant in distress at an in-home daycare on Frontier Court, the police department said. When they arrived, they found the baby was unresponsive and had labored breathing. The child died on Feb. 9, 2020. An autopsy indicated she was killed by blunt-force injuries to her head. The investigation indicates that the injuries were not accidental.

“On Saturday, February 8, 2020, Marxen admitted that on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, she dropped the infant victim while she was carrying her,” authorities contend in the court records. “911 was not notified until four hours after the fall and forty-five minutes after Marxen admitted she knew the child wasn’t acting correctly.”

When the girl was examined by doctors, they determined she had a fractured skull and bleeding in her brain, the court records state.

Marxen was the homeowner and was the only care provider, authorities said.

Neither the records nor the news release from LeClaire stated what specific evidence led to the determination that the injuries were not accidental.

The investigation lasted 14 months. A warrant listing the charges against Marxen was issued Wednesday and she was arrested Thursday.

Marxen remained in custody Friday, according to the Scott County Jail.

Her bond has been set at $1 million and must be paid in cash. She made her first appearance on the charges Friday and her next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.

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