A father who allegedly caused the death of his 2-month-old baby daughter was granted a mental evaluation Monday at the Pike County Circuit Court in Murfreesboro, Ark.
Frankey D. Tigue, 32, of Murfreesboro has been in custody since Nov. 7, 2017, while the death of Francesca Teague was being investigated. He remains in the Pike County jail pending a mental evaluation requested by Public Defender Deric McFarland. The evaluation will determine if he is competent to stand trial.
McFarland was appointed to represent Tigue.
Trial dates will be scheduled after the evaluation if Tigue is deemed competent.
He has been charged with second-degree murder .
The charge is a Class A felony with a potential sentence of six to 30 years in prison, according to Pike County Circuit Clerk Sabrina Williams.
Rebecca Tigue, the infant's mother, was charged with permitting abuse of a minor and hindering apprehension. Both charges are Class D felonies carrying a potential sentence of five to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000.
She was arrested Monday afternoon and placed in the county jail pending a first appearance in court.
According to the arrest affidavit, the Pike County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at 6:12 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2017, from 108 Alamo Drive in Murfreesboro. The call said a 2-month-old infant at the residence was not breathing.
Medical personnel requested a Pike County deputy to be dispatched to the scene after assessing the baby.
Chief Deputy Travis Hill found the baby lying in a bassinet in the living room, according to the arrest affidavit.
The report said the infant's parents stated the infant woke up crying.
The infant's father placed the infant in a swing in the living room and prepared a bottle to feed the baby, the affidavit said. While feeding the infant, the father said the infant appeared to begin to choke. He patted the infant on the back and then placed her in the bassinet. The infant's mother came into the room, picked the baby up and held it in front of the air conditioner.
The report said on Nov. 9, 2017, Special Agent Pete Penney spoke with Dr. Adam Craig, the Arkansas State Crime Lab Medical Examiner, and Craig said he was the pathologist of record for the autopsy of Francesca Tigue.
Craig said the infant had multiple injuries to her body resulting in multiple hematomas on her brain with various stages of healing, along with multiple fractured ribs with various stages of healing.
"These injuries, according to Dr. Craig, indicated multiple events of the infant being shaken, the report said.
He said the infant's death is the result of a homicide, according to the report.
During an interview with the state police, the father said he had lost his temper and shook his daughter and probably hurt her, but that he didn't intend to hurt her.