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Father charged in baby's death Pyke Medford man jailed after son dies By JESSICA SMITH A Medford man was charged with manslaughter Wednesday after the infant son he is accused of beating died. The 6-month-old boy died in a Portland hospital early Wednesday, less than 24 hours after officers arrested his father for allegedly abusing the baby. Police charged Frederick Lee Pyke, 22, with first-degree manslaughter Wednesday following the death of his son, Christopher Richard Jimenez-Pyke. Pyke was originally arrested Tuesday on second-degree assault and first-degree criminal mistreatment charges for allegedly striking the child on the head with his fist. The state medical examiner in Portland is expected to perform an autopsy on the baby today. The infant was taken Tuesday morning to Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, accompanied by his mother, Ramona Kenton, 18. Hospital workers told police the baby died from severe head and spinal injuries shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, said Medford Lt. Tim George. According to preliminary reports, Pyke allegedly hit his son about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday while the baby was being comforted or held by his mother. Police said the couple took their son to Rogue Valley Medical Center about 3:30 a.m. for initial treatment. Relatives, however, dispute the police account. They say Kenton was at work at the time of the incident. She returned and found the baby injured, they said. "She had nothing to do with the baby's death. She had nothing to do with the baby being hit," said Valerie Kenton, the mother's cousin. George said police are continuing to investigate the incident by interviewing family members and looking into Pyke's past behavior. He declined to say more. Susan Kaough, a manager for Services to Children and Family in Medford, said her office has had previous dealings with Pyke and his family. Confidentiality agreements prevented Kaough from elaborating. Kenton's relatives, however, say Pyke has a history of abusing his children. They said he once broke his 2-year-old daughter's arm. The girl was taken from her parents' custody and placed in a temporary foster home Tuesday after her father's arrest, Kaough said. "We're going to keep custody until we complete our own assessment of the situation," Kaough said, adding that the girl may eventually be returned to her mother or other relatives. "We'll work with the family as closely and as quickly as we can to come up with a plan for the child." Meanwhile, Pyke remains lodged on more than $1 million bail at the Jackson County Jail. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA