BEMIDJI, Minn. - An infant here who was allegedly critically injured in December while at day care died Thursday.
Ayven Jayce Shepard, 7 months, suffered high-force head trauma on Dec. 18 while in the care of Timothy Kenneth Lundberg and Brenda Kala Hertel, also of Bemidji.
Kayla Nickerson, Shepard's aunt and a spokeswoman for the family, said a funeral is being planned.
Lundberg, 29, has been charged with felony first-degree assault causing great bodily harm. Hertel, 22, has been charged with felony neglect or endangerment of a child.
Beltrami County Attorney Tim Faver said Thursday afternoon that the charges may be amended.
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"We certainly will be reviewing the matter with an eye to amending the charges," he said.
Kristin Shepard, the baby's mother, had hired Hertel and Lundberg to care for the infant and another child for a week, according to the complaint.
On Dec. 18 she received a call from Hertel saying that she couldn't wake the baby. Hertel asked if she should call 911 and Kristin Shepard told her to do so.
Bethany Wesley is a reporter at The Pioneer in Bemidji, Minn., which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
