Raleigh man accused of child abuse, murder initially said 22-month-old choked on waffle, warrant says

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh man charged with killing his girlfriend's 22-month-old son initially said the child choked on a waffle, according to a new warrant.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

Michael Buchanan, 23, could spend the rest of his life in jail. He is being held without bond.

It happened about 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 at a North Raleigh townhouse complex, where neighbors have set up a memorial on the front steps.

According to court documents, the back of the 22-month-old's skull was fractured, causing a brain bleed. The child's mother, Marquise McCall identified him as Torrance Adams.

"My son was a sweet baby," McCall told ABC11. "He loved his brothers and sisters. He loves everybody he comes into contact with. He was to himself. He wasn't a whiner. He wasn't a crier. And he didn't deserve this."

Torrance was "resuscitated" by EMS at the home and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead two days later.

"There are no words to describe how it's affected our family," McCall said. "There are no words. We're broken."

According to the warrants, investigators are interested in information on Buchanan's cellphone. They believe that information on the cellphone will help uncover more details about what happened.

Torrance would have turned 2 on April 5. He has two older brothers and two older sisters. His mother said he loved the movie "The Boss Baby" and the "Baby Shark" song.

"He was a happy baby," McCall said. "Torrance was the baby. He is the baby. And he will always be the baby."

GoFund Me for Torrance's family.