Death of infant results in multiple charges for Red Wing man

GOODHUE COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Red Wing man faces multiple charges following the death of a 2-month-old infant.

Hunter Matthew McCutchen, 18, faces four counts of manslaughter (two in the first-degree for cause of death to another and two in second-degree for culpable negligence and an attempt to commit violation), and one count of child endangerment causing harm or death.

According to charges, on May 23, 2023, at approximately 12:10 p.m., an unidentified party made a 911 call to the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Department asking for help because her 2-month-old child was not breathing at his home in Red Wing. At the time of the call, McCutchen was performing CPR on the victim until EMS arrived. The caller reported that the child was not breathing, and appeared to be pale with purple eyelids.

Officer Andy Dahl of the Red Wing Police Department responded to the residence along with the Red Wing Fire Department and ambulance service. Once inside the residence, Dahl observed a 4- or 5-year-old female child sitting on a futon in the living room as McCutchen walked from the hallway into the kitchen holding the infant, who was not responsive, according to charges.

Dahl reported the scene to be "very traumatic with lots of screaming, wailing in pain/intense crying, and holding onto each other," the charges read.

When asked what happened, McCutchen reported that, "he was feeding [the infant] on the living room couch, then got up briefly and returned to feeding .. and then suddenly the infant became unresponsive," according to charges.

Following the initial conversation, Dahl reported observing a baby bottle that contained either milk or formula in the cupholder of the couch, and a marijuana pipe on the counter in the kitchen. EMS then transported the infant by ambulance to the Red Wing Mayo Hospital.

Medical records indicate that the infant was a previously healthy 8-week-old, according to charges. Emergency room and staff continued compressions for additional 20 minutes before arriving at an emergency room, where ER staff continued lifesaving efforts for approximately 30 minutes with no pulse found for approximately one-hour total before medical staff checked one last time and a heart rate was detected. The infant was then immediately taken by Mayo One helicopter to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.

At the hospital, the initial 911 caller told a physician that she arrived home that day, and McCutchen immediately called out to her for help. She reported that he was holding the infant, and she told him to start CPR as she immediately called 911.

According to charges, she told the treating physician that she has noticed, "abnormal bruising on the infant recently," and that she felt nervous about leaving the infant alone with McCutchen, saying he "plays too roughly."

An X-ray on the infant showed multiple bilateral rib fractures in various stages of healing, as well as, a healing clavicular fracture that was "highly suggestive of no accidental trauma." Imaging of the infant’s head and brain showed multiple areas of bleeding on the brain, as well as, documented loss of brain function, according to charges.

The following day, the 911 caller recorded a conversation with McCutchen on her cell phone, in which he admitted, "I just got so overwhelmed," and that, "I wasn’t thinking," while also admitting he, "put my hand over his mouth, but it wasn’t like a death grip or anything." She then turned the recordings over to investigators.

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, the infant was pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.