SALMON, IDAHO: Roger Aaron Denig, 21, faces one count of first-degree murder in the tragic case involving the death of his two-month-old daughter, Ammarie. The details of this heart-wrenching incident were revealed in an affidavit of probable cause.
A desperate 911 call
On Wednesday morning, June 21, around 9.40 am, the Lemhi County Sheriff's Office received a distressing 911 call from the Ammarie's mother, reporting that her daughter was not breathing. The entire Denig family, including the accused, rushed to a local hospital, situated in the eastern part of Lemhi County, bordering Montana. "[Roger] Denig had started CPR," the affidavit obtained by East Idaho News read, adding, "[The girl's mother] kept saying she's not breathing, then barely breathing, to she isn't moving at all."
En route to the hospital, an ambulance intercepted the family. Paramedics noticed "yellow bruises on the forehead from eyebrow to eyebrow, and some bruises to the infant's upper body" that indicated older injuries, as stated in the affidavit.
Medical uncertainties surface
Denig allegedly informed the paramedics that his daughter suffered from a congenital condition known as laryngomalacia, which softens the tissues above the larynx, per Cleveland Clinic. He attributed his daughter's distress to choking caused by this condition. However, doctors at Steele Memorial Medical Center in Salmon managed to resuscitate the child and stabilized her heartbeat before transferring her to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. A subsequent CT scan revealed multiple brain injuries, leading the child to be urgently airlifted to the Primary Children's Hospital.
A doctor specializing in child abuse and neglect at the hospital determined that Ammarie's brain was no longer functioning. "Additional signs show tearing of the brain, which is consistent with a sudden, external, physical assault," the affidavit stated, adding, "There is retinal hemorrhage in both eyes, which is present with traumatic head injuries, (and) the CT scan showed several broken ribs in various stages of healing that could be between 10 to 14 days old, (and) signs of old bruises on the child's chest."
Ammarie Denig showed signs of shaken baby syndrome
The doctor concluded that Ammarie had traumatic brain injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome. Despite the efforts to save her, the child remained on life support for several days before dying late on Friday night, June 23.
An autopsy confirmed the presence of even more broken ribs in various stages of healing. The medical examiner determined that the young girl died from a traumatic head injury.
Investigators interviewed the infant's parents, who disclosed that they had left the baby with her grandmother twice on the day in question while they went to the dump to dispose of garbage. Upon their return, the mother laid down with the child, and when the baby woke from a nap crying, her father picked her up and took her to another room to comfort her in a rocking chair.
"[Roger] Denig came into the room and got Ammarie from the bed and took her to the other room where they have a rocking chair to rock her because she likes that," the girl's mother told investigators. The mother fell asleep but was awakened by her husband, who urgently informed her that their daughter was struggling to breathe and had turned blue. "[W]hen the medical staff advised Ammarie had traumatic brain injury, [the girl's mother] stated she thought it may have been from driving on the rough road to get to the ambulance, or the lack of oxygen to the brain had caused this," according to the affidavit. "[The girl's mother] stated she did not have physical control of Ammarie from the time Denig took her from the bed and went to the other room," the document added.
Roger Denig's disturbing admission
Denig echoed a similar explanation, suggesting that his daughter's brain injuries resulted from the rough road en route to the hospital. However, detectives pressed Denig about the other injuries sustained by the girl. "Denig stated maybe they patted her too hard because one time while he was patting her back, he heard crackling noises," the affidavit revealed, in response to questions about the girl's broken ribs. A deputy challenged Denig's rough road theory, suggesting that someone had intentionally inflicted harm on the child. The affidavit stated, "This detective believes the infant's injuries were not a medical issue, and the child was willfully and deliberately tortured."
Denig was arrested in Lemhi County on Saturday, June 24, and subsequently arraigned on Monday, June 26. Magistrate Judge Andrew Woolf set his bail at $500,000. He is currently detained in the Lemhi County Jail, awaiting his next court appearance scheduled for July 7. The community remains shaken by the devastating loss of Ammarie, as they grapple with the profound sadness surrounding this tragic case.
