Police Release New Information on Toddler’s Murder

By David GreenwaldJanuary 26, 201455 comments

police-lineby David Greenwald

The Davis Police Department has released new information on the death of nearly two year old Cameron Morrison.

On January 22, at 11:47 PM, in the parking lot of Dutch Brothers Coffee (located at the corner of Richards Boulevard and Olive Drive in Davis) a mother presented her 1 year old child to an AMR ambulance crew for treatment. The patient was unresponsive and appeared seriously injured. He was transported to the UCD Medical Center for emergency care.

Davis Police were immediately called out and began an investigation. On January 23, officers arrested Darnell Dangelo Dorsey (a 21 year old Sacramento man) for felony child endangerment and booked him into the Yolo County Jail. Dorsey is the mother’s boyfriend, and believed to be responsible for the victim’s injuries.

On January 25, at approximately 1:30 PM, the child victim succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

The Davis Police Department, along with the Yolo County Coroner, are now proceeding with a homicide investigation. The victim has been identified as Cameron Morrison (per Yolo County Coroner).

Previous version by Antoinnette Borbon

Early this morning, the Vanguard learned of a two-year-old baby who was taken to Sutter Davis Hospital last night after being found unresponsive when the mother returned home from the gym.  The woman’s boyfriend, Darnell Dorsey, was home with the two children at the time when the incident occurred. The child was rushed to Sutter Davis Hospital where he had X-rays and a CAT scan done.

The baby’s grandmother told the Vanguard that the three-year-old sibling had said,”Daddy hit him in the head and he got sick.” The CAT scan revealed injuries conducive to what is known as “shaken baby syndrome.”

Just this morning the baby’s grandmother was notified by her daughter, the mother of the toddler, that doctors say there is no blood flow to the baby’s brain. He remains on life support at the intensive care unit of UCD Hospital. The doctors also found damage to the baby’s bladder and other fractures around the body. The locations of the other fractures are currently unknown.

The man does have a criminal history involving abuse of an elderly person and drug charges.

Davis police were called to the hospital last night and took the man, Darnell Dorsey, into custody, but it is unclear yet as to what he will be charged with and whether he has been booked into the Yolo County Jail.

UPDATE: Vanguard Just spoke to Davis Assistant Police Chief Darren Pytel.

Davis Assistant Police Chief Darren Pytel told the Vanguard, “Late Wednesday, we began an investigation into violence allegedly inflicted on a two-year-old boy.  The parent lives in Davis and it appears the crime we’re looking into occurred here.”
A parent who was in the process of taking the victim to the hospital came across an EMR (emergency medical responder) medical crew and sought medical aid.  The child was unconscious and unresponsive, and was transported to the hospital for treatment, Assistant Chief Pytel stated.
“A 21-year-old, Darnell Dorsey of Sacramento, has been taken into custody for child endangerment,” said Assistant Chief Pytel, who noted that the investigation was in its very early stages and Davis Police are coordinating their efforts with the Yolo County District Attorney’s office.
He added that the child is still receiving ongoing medical treatment but declined to elaborate further, pending investigation.

The Vanguard will update with any new information as it becomes available.

Author

  • David Greenwald

    Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

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Breaking News City of Davis Law Enforcement

55 comments

  2. BTW, have no problem with the charge (IF he is guilty, should get the ‘max'”) but I have problems with the implication that he is, indeed, guilty. We have courts and juries to determine that.

      1. We looked up his record and our reporting was in fact completely accurate.

        Criminal Record:
        2009 – Second Degree Robbery, plead no contest
        2010 – Drug charge, acquitted
        2011 – unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, plead no contest
        2011 – assault with bodily injury (that’s the elder abuse case), plead no contest

        That’s just in Yolo County, there also cases in Sacramento County as well.

        1. I am the mother of a son that suffered terribly and continues to struggle today. May 23, 2011 my son came home from work. He walked into the dining area and began to greet one of his roomates when with no warning, enraged the roommate charged my son with a vengeance. Michael was caught off guard since he had not been home for a day an
          With no warning he was charged and knocked off balance to the ground. As Michael tried to shield and protect himself, the roommate furious, screaming, accusations towards Michael.Darnell Dorsey ran downstairs and both roommates continued striking

          1. My son was also beaten horribly by Dorsey in Sacramento 2012 and came very close to dying. The beating included extensive head injury caused by 20-100 blows with a shoe, broken ribs, damaged internal organs and severe bites on his back. This guy is a monster that cannot be rehabilitated.

          2. If that’s the case, I’m a little perplexed by why he was out and able to take misdemeanor pleas.

  9. No one is passing judgment, these are simply some of the facts…the precious baby fights for his life and I am hopeful! He is a tiny two year old, just adorable! I would ask that each and everyone who reads will pray without ceasing for baby Cameron..For we know who holds the power to heal…:)

  11. Forgot to clarify, it was not the babys father. It was the boyfriend. Three fractured ribs and a laceration to the liver…Mom and dad and grandmother are with him.

      1. Toddler dies; homicide investigation underway

        The death Saturday of a nearly 2-year-old Davis boy is the city’s fourth homicide in less than a year’s time, and the second in four months to involve a small child.

        Cameron Morrison was pronounced dead at 1:24 p.m. after being removed from life support at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, an official there said Saturday night. The boy had been hospitalized since late Wednesday night, when his distraught mother, her unconscious son in her car, flagged down an ambulance near the family’s Olive Drive residence.

  16. Who ever is trying to say he’s not guilty, you are stupid, as it was just them two there he never should have put his hands on that 2 year old baby, plus it wasn’t his….

        1. No he didn’t. He said that the place to determine guilt and innocence is a court of law, that is not the same as implying he believes the individual to be innocent.

  25. Thank you, Don, for editing and documenting the removal. Hope you’ll get to the “I agree” one too. On to another problem: the newer messages are showing up in the wrong order. The 1:47 p.m. comment at the bottom while the later ones jump in front.

  26. Hi folks,
    I’ve edited a number of comments. Please don’t take this as any kind of action against you personally nor a reflection of the topic of your post. I’m trying to keep the discussion less emotional, involving a very difficult situation. — Don

  27. I would like to say first, that I appreciate Don editing and removing some of the comments. I learned of this tragedy by providence and with deep respect to the mourning family, law enforcement, and both counsels, I know we at the Vanguard will keep hurtful and/or inappropriate things from being posted. I am confident that both David and I have tried hard to exercise a standard of professionalism, while at the same time showing human compassion.

    I will continue to give support and encouragement to the family and keep them in close fervent prayer. This is a tribulation for all involved. Our sincere concern and prayers are deeply appreciated.

    Although we often have stories of great sadness to report, we still have a responsibility to try to be as ethical and moral as we can be at the Vanguard.

    I will do my part in upholding that standard, while at the same time, express my deepest, heartfelt condolences.

    I pray you all will do the same.

    “Into the arms of the Angels…baby Cameron…you were received.”

    We only met briefly…but I look forward to sharing friendship with your sweet spirit in Heaven…:)

  28. That’s really odd that my content was removed, considering the content of my content was a request to remove content and nothing more. How is that hurtful to anyone? I didn’t say a thing about the case. That’s just weird.

  29. i am so saddened by this. [edit] I love my family and will always be here for them. As for baby cam…we will miss you my love.
    [edited for content — Don]

  30. This is just a terrible thing for this family to deal with.. [edit].. I am sooooooo sorry for these innocent children and thier family there lives are forever changed… I pray for comfort to them.. [edit]
    [Edited for content — Don]

  33. That baby did not deserve any type of violence what so ever. At that age of being almost 2 years old you dont know better whethers its crying cause you want a toy in a store or just wanting to play rough. No baby deserves to be beaten to death. What has this world come to where we cant take out our anger on someone our own size. But we have to subject our selves to someone who is defenseless in this world. I pray to the Contini family. We love you so much. That was our nephew and we are gonna miss little baby Cameron.

  35. [edit] I hope the truth prevails and another innocent child is not harmed in da process. May justice be served.

    [edited for content; please see my comment above — Don]

  37. I am not trying to upset anybody, but I strongly urge that you keep your comments to condolences to the family. Thanks for your cooperation.
    Don, Vanguard moderator.

  38. The Vanguard Editorial Board strongly supports Don Shor in his handling/moderation of this comments thread.

    If you see comments edited, please don’t take this as any kind of action against the commenter personally, nor as a reflection on the content of the comment, but rather as an effort to keep the discussion less personally intense, when involving a very difficult situation.

    With deep respect to the mourning family, law enforcement, and the community, we at the Vanguard will endeavor to keep hurtful and/or inappropriate comments from being posted. We recognize that this is a tribulation for all involved. The Vanguard will work hard to exercise a standard of professionalism, while at the same time showing human compassion. When we have stories of great sadness to report, the Vanguard has a responsibility to try to be as ethical and moral as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

  40. My deepest condolences to this angel’s family.

    I’d be curious to know whether CPS had ever taken an interest in this mother and her boyfriend. His background clearly indicated serious risk of harm to the child. No matter what his sentence is, at this point it’s too little too late. It won’t bring this baby back.

    The only peace to be found will be in time and faith. Pray or meditate a lot, look for some redeeming value or cause… Consider that perhaps all our lives are more than we are aware of.

    I strongly advise this family to follow closely the booking of the murderer. Make friends with his inmates, visit them, put money on their books… and make sure they know all the details of what he did to this child. Someone should start a website that discloses the name of prisons where child murderers are so community members can make friends with inmates and do the same.

    A good way to supplement our justice system. Get involved.

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