A man arrested in connection with the death of an infant who was found submerged in water in a motel bathroom in Milford over the summer now faces murder charges.
Dale Kirkland, 31, of Bridgeport was arrested the day the baby was found unresponsive in the Mayflower Motel on Woodmont Road on Aug. 21 and was initially charged with risk of injury to a minor and cruelty to persons.
Court records reviewed this week show Kirkland now faces upgraded charges of murder, murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a child. He remains held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in Milford Superior Court on Jan. 7.
Kirkland has not entered a plea to the new charges, records show.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Milford Police Department, investigators reviewed surveillance footage and found that Kirkland was brought to the motel in the evening of Aug. 20 in a vehicle driven by his mother. He could be seen entering a room with a baby, while his mother took off, the warrant affidavit said.
Surveillance footage showed that Kirkland left the motel room the following morning at 8:38 a.m. and was wearing the same clothing as the night before as well as dark sunglasses and a black mask covering a part of his face, according to the warrant affidavit. He did not have the child with him.
A cleaning person entered the room shortly before 11 a.m. after being informed that Kirkland had checked out and immediately noticed baby clothing, bags and a baby seat still inside, the warrant affidavit said. When she entered the bathroom, she told police, she noticed a child’s bathing tub inside the motel tub and a child who was submerged with her face in the water, according to the warrant affidavit.
Emergency crews responded to the motel after staff called 911 and performed life-saving efforts on the infant before the child was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital. The child was pronounced dead at 11:56 a.m., the warrant affidavit said.
According to the state Department of Children and Families, the agency had an open case with Kirkland for about four weeks prior to the infant’s death. A spokesperson for the agency said they are conducting a joint investigation along with police.
