Wall Man Charged With Murder In Death Of 6-Week-Old Daughter

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Wall Township man has been charged with killing his 6-week-old daughter, 10 months after the baby died, the Monmouth County prosecutor's office announced.

Austin Meli, 23, was arrested Thursday, Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said. He has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Wall Township police responded on March 9, 2019, to a home where a 6-week-old infant was unresponsive. The baby, identified by authorities only by her initials, G.B., was taken to Ocean Medical Center in Brick and was pronounced dead, the prosecutor's office said.

She was in the immediate care of her father, Austin Meli, at the time she was found to be unresponsive, authorities said.

As a result of the ongoing investigation, additional details surrounding G.B.’s death were provided to investigators, resulting in the murder charge being brought, the prosecutor's office said. They did not specify what those details were.

Meli is being held in the Monmouth County jail in Freehold Township.

Anyone with information that can assist the investigation is urged to call Detective Shawn Murphy of the prosecutor's office at 732-431-7160, ext. 7032, or Wall Township Police Detective Chris Lisewski at 732-449-4800, ext. 1140.

If convicted of murder, Meli faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison without parole and up to life imprisonment without parole.

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