First Posted: 1/19/2015
SPENCERVILLE — A 17-month-old child is dead and a man was in jail Monday charged with murder.
Christopher Michael Clayton, 20, was in custody in connection with the death of Xavier John Wurth inside a home at 229 Wurster St. on Friday afternoon. Clayton is the mother’s boyfriend and not the child’s father. He lived with the mother, authorities said.
Spencerville Police Chief Darin Cook said officers with his agency responded to the home from a 911 call at 11:55 a.m. Clayton was the caller. When officers arrived the child was dead and it was apparent foul play was involved, the chief said.
Cook immediately secured the scene and called the Sheriff’s Office because his agency does not have detectives or a crime scene investigative unit, he said.
Xavier’s body was found in an upstairs hallway with clear signs of visible trauma, Cook said.
The body was taken to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office on Saturday where a forensic pathologist ruled following an autopsy Xavier’s death a homicide from blunt force trauma to the back of his head, Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish said.
Clayton and the mother of the child, Alexis Long, 20, were home when police arrived. The mother was not facing charges.
Detectives have conducted multiple interviews including with Clayton concerning the child’s death, Crish said.
The investigation is in the early stages. Detectives still have a lot of work to do including determine exactly how the child received the injuries and a motive, Crish said.
In the meantime, Clayton was in jail without bail. He may appear in court as early as Tuesday where he will be advised of the charges and bail set.
Xavier’s death is the first homicide in Spencerville in at least 24 years. Cook has been with the agency that long and there has never been a homicide during his time until now, he said. His agency has four full-time officers and 10 who work part time for the village of 2,900 that is 17 miles west of Lima.
