A Virginia man has been charged with felony murder in the death of his one-year-old foster son.
Authorities say the baby, Ka'ron Mason, was burned while being bathed by his foster father, 33-year-old David John Marcussen of Fredericksburg, back in January.
Mason, then 11 months old, was taken to a local area hospital with burns to his face, torso and neck, said the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. He was then airlifted to MCV Hospital in Richmond, where he died Feb. 1 at 12 months old.
Mason had been in the legal custody of the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services since shortly after his birth, when a judge determined it would be in his best interest, the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services said Wednesday.
He had been with his foster family since July 2014. His foster parents had "passed the stringent selection and training criteria required by our agency," the agency said in a statement.
Case workers visited him in his foster home at least once a month, and had last visited him Dec. 17, 2014, the agency said.
Marcussen was indicted Friday and turned himself into the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. He has been charged with felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, child neglect and two counts of cruelty to children.
He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
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Virginia's Child Fatality Review Team will examine the case after any criminal or administrative hearings have been completed, said the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services.
