Shocking Details Describe Abuse By NJ Cop Accused Of Killing Baby

Shocking details in a recently released court document paint the picture of a pattern of abuse by a New Jersey cop accused of murdering his 3-month-old daughter, including bruises around her mouth and bruised ribs more than two months before she died.

Daniel Bannister, a Ewing Township Police Officer, abused his child by pressing his hand against her face and squeezing her too tight, his wife claims in text messages included in an affidavit that has been provided by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

The affidavit that revealed new details and a timeline in the case, in which Bannister is accused of murdering his daughter, Hailey, and is wife is accused of not reporting the abuse to authorities:

• On Oct. 4, 2018, his wife Catherine first noticed suspicious bruising around Hailey’s mouth, which led her to question Daniel. In the conversation, Catherine identified Daniel’s practice of “pressing his finger against Hailey’s mouth as a method to stop her cries” as a possible cause of the bruises;
• On Oct. 9, 2018, Catherine exchanged text messages with her babysitter in which she described Daniel as “abusive.” In a lengthy exchange, she went on to say that she told Daniel he would not touch Hailey again unless he was educated in early childhood development. After the babysitter offered to let Catherine and both children come live with her, Catherine declined and asked the babysitter not to report Daniel’s treatment of Hailey to authorities;
• On Nov. 1, 2018, Catherine located bruising on Hailey’s left rib area, which led her to accuse Daniel of causing the bruising by gripping Hailey too tightly;
• On the morning and early afternoon of Nov. 23, 2018, Daniel was alone with Hailey and the Bannisters’ 2-year-old son. Hailey began showing signs of skull fractures, including excessive vomiting that continued into Nov. 24. A doctor who reviewed Hailey’s medical records said Hailey likely suffered her ultimately fatal head injuries on Nov. 23;
• On Nov. 24, Daniel tried to prevent his wife from bringing Hailey to the doctor, but Catherine took her to the pediatrician anyway. From there, they went to Capital Health Center at Hopewell.
• On Nov. 28, 2018, Catherine confronted Daniel about his treatment of, and attitude toward, Hailey;
• On Dec. 5, 2018, Ewing Township Emergency Medical Services responded to the Bannisters' Ewing home after receiving a 911 call for an unresponsive 3-month-old baby who was having difficulty breathing. Emergency medical technicians assessed the baby, who was not breathing and in cardiac arrest, took her to Cooper Health Medical Center- Hopewell, where she was initially listed in critical condition. She was then moved to Robert Wood Johnson Children's Hospital in New Brunswick; and
• On Dec. 11, 2018, after spending several days in the hospital, Hailey Bannister was pronounced deceased.

Additionally, phone records show that Catherine was aware of the head injuries and suspected that her child had suffered a concussion, but never raised these concerns with the doctor or asked for diagnostic testing. She had opportunities to do so during visits to the doctor and the hospital on Nov. 24, 26 and 28, and Dec. 3, according to investigators.

In the days after Hailey Bannister’s death, Catherine told investigators that Hailey was a “cranky baby” and that “Daniel had a hard time bonding with her.”

Now, Daniel Bannister, 31, is charged with murder, and Catherine Bannister, 29, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. They were arrested last week and are scheduled for pre-trial detention hearings on Tuesday, July 30.

The new revelations match the prosecutor’s office’s initial statement that her injuries were the result of an “ongoing pattern of abuse.” Injuries included skull fractures and subdural hemorrhage, according to the prosecutor's office. The cause of her death was listed as complications from blunt impact trauma of the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.

On the morning of Dec. 5, Catherine said she woke up and fed her baby before putting her in the swing and going to work, according to the affidavit. Daniel was home alone that morning with both children. He told detectives that when he went to check on Hailey while she was in her swing, and noticed she was having a hard time breathing.

He placed her on an ottoman as Catherine was coming home to feed Hailey. He told her Hailey was having a hard time breathing, and Catherine called 911 while he administered CPR, according to detectives.

Catherine frantically called police, telling them Hailey had just been diagnosed with reflux, but was now barely conscious. She said the baby was not alert, but she did have a pulse, and that her husband was working with her.

Because of the suspicious nature of her injuries, the prosecutor's office opened an investigation the same day Hailey was taken to the hospital.

Daniel Bannister had been suspended without pay from the police force since December, according to the prosecutor's office.

In the days following Hailey’s death, investigators interviewed both parents. Several other family members, including paternal and maternal grandparents, were also interviewed. Everyone was at a loss to explain how Hailey suffered her injuries.

An interview investigators were conducting with Catherine on Dec. 7 was interrupted by Catherine’s sister, who told them Daniel was seeking legal representation and requested the interview be terminated. After consultation with Catherine, the interview was terminated.

On Dec. 10, investigators obtained a warrant to examine both Daniel and Catherine’s phone records.

Many people first heard of the baby's death the "Hope for Hailey Rose" GoFundMe page, which raised $17,618. The page, which is no longer active, said she suffered a catastrophic brain injury and was not expected to recover, according to nj.com.

For more information on domestic violence and a list of agency contacts in New Jersey, visit njsp.org.

Read more here: Shock, Outrage After NJ Cop, Wife Charged In Baby’s Death