There is nothing more exciting for a young couple than to welcome a child they have been waiting months for. This young couple outwardly did not seem any different.
They were expecting twins and had one child already. No one suspected the parents were anything but over-the-moon. But then when the father was left alone with the newborn, he did something unthinkable. Keep reading to learn about his heinous actions.
The mother Savannah Bliss talked to the media and explained that her newborn son was injured while he was in his father’s care. According to Savannah, her husband was watching little Gunner and their older one year old child while she was visiting Gunner’s twin sister in the NICU at WakeMed.
The mother shared that Gunner and his twin Madelyn were both born premature at 34 weeks. The babies had not yet been released from the hospital when Gunner was injured.
22-year-old Noah Benjamin Bliss from Harnett County was arrested at WakeMed in Raleigh. He was charged with the first-degree murder of his 3-week-old son Gunner Bliss. He also faced charges of child abuse and inflicting serious bodily injury on the baby, from the incident that occurred on October 6, this year.
“I want justice for my son,” Savannah Bliss said. “I trusted my husband to watch Gunner while I was taking care of his sister in the ICU. He was sweetest boy with most beautiful blue eyes … he was the best baby [and] for him to be taken so soon is so wrong.”
The family was living temporarily at the WakeMed’s Heart Center Inn. The place is a hotel-like space for families who have loved ones receiving care downstairs in the hospital.
According to the mother Savannah Bliss, nursing staff said the injuries Gunner had indicated that he had been shaken vigorously by his father.
The staff told Savannah Bliss that Gunner had no external injuries or any broken bones, but that the infant had suffered from head trauma, in particular brain bleeding and swelling which deprived him of oxygen.
On Monday night, the newborn was taken off life support.
Noah Bliss appeared in front of a court on Tuesday where he was sent to jail with no bond. His next court date is scheduled for the coming month.
As for Savannah, she is still trying to piece together what happened. The young mother said, “He seemed happy … like a proud father,” adding, “I never thought this would have happened … I trusted him, that was his daddy … he loved his babies.”
“I just want justice for my son,” Savannah stated. “He was innocent.”
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This is such an unfortunate situation to have happened. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Savannah as she grieves this heartbreaking loss.