By Staff
CASSOPOLIS - The Cass County Major Crimes Task Force and Cassopolis Police Chief Frank Williams reported that Donald Allen Parks, 23, of Edwardsburg, was arraigned Friday In Fourth District Court, Cassopolis, on a charge of open murder.
District Judge Paul Deats ordered Parks held without bond at the Cass County Jail pending a preliminary examination.
Parks was arrested Thursday for allegedly assaulting his "purported" child, Austin Singleton, 2, of South Bend, Ind.
The child's mother is Angela Singleton of Edwardsburg.
On the evening of Nov. 4, while at Bronson Methodist Hospital In Kalamazoo, at approximately 11 p.m. the child's brain activity ended while the child's heart ceased to function at approximately 1 p.m. on Nov. 5.
The child was pronounced deceased by hospital doctors.
An autopsy was to be performed at Spectrum Health In Grand Rapids on Saturday to determine the exact cause of death, however, investigators believed that the child died as a result of an assault by Parks.
The investigation remains open at this time pending autopsy results. A prelimary hearing for Parks is scheduled for Nov. 18.