GENESEE CO. -- Police say 4-year-old Dominick Calhoun endured days of torture before his death in April. Now, his family is taking action to save other children from a similar fate.
The child did not die quietly. His mother, 25-year-old Corrine Baker, says she yelled for help as her boyfriend, 24 year old Brandon Hayes, beat her and her child for several days.
Neighbors tell NBC25 they heard loud banging, but no one paid attention to the noises.
Baker is charged with second degree murder and child abuse. Police say she should have done more to save her son. Hayes faces numerous charges, including first degree murder and torture.
Dominick Calhoun's family says neighbors should have called police, and since they did not, they are also responsible for the child’s death. The family says if people in the apartment complex reported the screams and banging, perhaps Dominick would be alive today.
Now, the family is working to pass a bill called Dominick's Law. State Representative Paul Scott is working to put it together. Dominick’s Grandfather, Richard Calhoun, hopes the bill will increase sentences for abusers, require more training for social workers- so abuse can be better detected, and make failing to report child abuse a misdemeanor.
Some law enforcement officials, however, say such a law may not be practical. Investigators on the case have said reporting such crime is the right thing to do, but making it illegal to not do so would make it hard to find witnesses. Plus, Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell says many people would become criminals.
But, Richard Calhoun says he's coping with his grandson’s death by working to create this law so other families will not endure such pain and to make sure Dominick will not be forgotten.
