Before he was charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend's 2-month-old boy, there were signs of Dakota King's problematic behavior, according to court documents.

King, 19, has an "extreme temper problem," the infant's grandmother told police, according to a probable-cause affidavit in the case. She said King would pick up the baby "in an aggressive manner" and yell into his face to get him to stop crying.

The infant's mother told police the same. She also said when King once got upset, he grabbed the child and pushed hard on his chest. Additionally, she said she witnessed King push the baby's face into his bed covers to get him to stop crying.

King "often" got frustrated with the child when he cried, the boy's mother told police.

The boy died July 30 after King pushed the back of his head into the covers of his bassinet, police said. Prosecutors are seeking life in prison without parole for the Bloomington man, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and three other felonies, according to online court records.

His jury trial is scheduled for January.

Child abuse in Indiana

The Indiana Department of Child Services investigated 314 child fatalities from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. Of those deaths, 21 were due to abuse, and 44 were due to neglect, the DCS reported in July.

Many of the children who died from abuse or neglect were 3 years old or younger, the DCS said. There were no deaths from abuse or neglect in Monroe County during that time period, and seven in Marion County.

'We're not doing enough':How can Indiana fix its child abuse problem?

Indiana and Kentucky have child abuse rates more than double the national average, according to a recent report from the federal government. The report, from the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says there were 29,189 victims of child abuse in Indiana in 2017.

That translates to a rate of 18.6 victims per 1,000 children. The national average is 9.1 victims per 1,000 children.

Signs of child abuse

The DCS and Prevent Child Abuse Indiana say there are behavioral and physical signs that may indicate that a child is being abused or neglected. They are:

Nervousness or aggression toward or around adults or other children

Frequent or unexplained bruises or other injuries

Poor hygiene

Acting out sexually at an inappropriate age

Dramatic change in personality

Significant changes in school behavior or grades

Inability to stay awake or concentrate

Low self-esteem or withdrawn behavior

Looking extremely underweight

Self-harming

Delayed development in very young children

Reporting child abuse

Any person with a reasonable suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected is required by Indiana law to report it via the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. The hotline number is 1-800-800-5556.

The hotline handled 242,994 reports in 2018, the DCS said.

Andrew Clark is a reporter for IndyStar. Call him at 317-444-6484 or email him at andrew.clark@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Clarky_Tweets.