Baltimore Police arrest man in death of 3-month-old son as part of warrants sweep

Baltimore Police have arrested a man on allegations that he killed his 3-month-old son in 2024, law enforcement announced this week.

Wayne Burnett III, 31, of Baltimore County, is charged in Baltimore Circuit Court with child abuse resulting in death, second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and related offenses. He’s being held in the Baltimore Central Booking & Intake Center without bail.

It’s unclear if he’s retained an attorney, and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender could not immediately be reached for comment.

Police were called to MedStar Harbor Hospital on Nov. 24, 2024, to investigate a “questionable death.”

Burnett walked into the emergency room with his son, Taheem, who was unresponsive. Just before 9 p.m., doctors pronounced him dead, police reported.

Medical staff told investigators that Burnett reported that he lowered the heat in his son, took a shower and then noticed that the boy was “cold and unresponsive.” Burnett turned up the heat, checked his son about one hour later and found him in the same condition, police allege.

When healthcare workers told Burnett that his son had died, police assert, he asked them whether he was in trouble. At the same time, police vehicles with their lights flashing pulled up to the hospital.

That’s when police claim that Burnett ran out of the hospital and left his 2-year-old daughter behind.

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and ruled on May 15 that the death was a homicide by head injuries.

Police on Aug. 18 obtained an arrest warrant, according to court records. Law enforcement took Burnett into custody on Sept. 16 as part of a joint warrant initiative during which police reported they made 86 arrests.

As part of that sweep, local and federal law enforcement said they apprehended those wanted on charges including homicide, attempted murder and robbery.

In a statement, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the success of the operation “demonstrates what we can accomplish when law enforcement agencies work together with a shared commitment to making Baltimore and our region safer.”

A new court date has not yet been scheduled in the case.