Fayetteville father accused of killing 10-month-old son

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A 23-year-old father is behind bars accused of killing his 10-month-old son.

Fayetteville Police Department arrested Trenton Terrell Powell. He faces charges of first-degree murder and felony child abuse.

"It's all hands on deck when it comes to any death investigation," said Fayetteville Police spokesman Jeremy Strickland. "The preliminary autopsy suggested there were injuries consisted with homicide."

The baby boy was found unresponsive at their home in the 1800 block of Gola Drive around 4 p.m. Feb. 3. He died at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

An autopsy later determined the boy had been murdered, leading police to arrest Powell on Feb. 7.

"When it involves a child so young, so innocent -- 10 months old, it really hits home for some of our detectives because they have children of their own this age," Strickland said. "But our investigators, they're tactful, they investigate it thoroughly and somebody has to be a voice for this child. So our detectives try to do their best for that."

Powell was booked in the Cumberland County Detention Center under no bond. He is on a quarantine isolation hold at the jail for two weeks per mandatory COVID-19 protocol.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective J. Nevitt at (910) 433-1500 ext. 2309 or Crimestoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477).