Couple arrested and charged with child abuse in connection with death of 6-year-old boy, police say

The mother of a six-year-old boy who died on Wednesday and her boyfriend have been arrested and charged with child abuse in connection with his death, police said.

Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive child and went to a home in the 6300 block of Greenspring Avenue in the Cheswolde neighborhood, police said.

When they arrived, police found a 6-year-old being treated by Baltimore City paramedics. The child, later identified as Brian Graham, was taken to a hospital where he later died, police said.

On Thursday, the coroner concluded that the death was a case of homicide caused by blunt force trauma.

Graham's mother, 34-year-old Jalesia Offer, and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Brandon Wheatley, were arrested and taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility, where they were both charged with first-degree child abuse resulting in death, police said.

Originally published: August 23, 2024 at 3:55 p.m.