Sheriff Jason Landers issued a press release Thursday evening regarding a homicide investigation in Grover Hill.

On Friday, October 20, 2017, at 11:57 a.m., Grover Hill EMS and Police Department responded to a report of a 3 month old child not breathing at 202 South Cleveland Street, Grover Hill. The child was transported by the emergency squad and eventually admitted in a Fort Wayne hospital.



On Saturday, October 21, 2017, medical staff with the Indiana hospital contacted the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office indicating possible child abuse in this case, and the infant child was in critical condition and not expected to survive. Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation at that point. On Wednesday October 25, 3 month old Zyathen Blair of Grover Hill was pronounced dead at the hospital.



On Thursday, October 26, 2017, an autopsy was conducted on Zyathen. Evidence of blunt force trauma was discovered during the examination. Interviews were conducted at the Sheriff’s Office and as a result Tristen A. Blair, age 19 of Grover Hill, the child's father, was arrested and charged preliminarily with one count of Murder, an unclassified felony.



“This is an incredibly bad situation for the family of young Zyathen. He was a defenseless infant and there’s absolutely no excuse for this,” said Sheriff Jason K. Landers. “I give credit to my staff working this case, as well as the family that cooperated with the investigation. I cannot begin to imagine their pain.”



Tristen A. Blair will be arraigned in Paulding County Court on Monday, Oct. 30.



He already is facing felony charges in Paulding County Common Pleas Court. In September, he was indicted on one count burglary, second-degree felony, and one count theft, fourth-degree felony.