Christina Hall

Detroit Free Press

Detroit police are investigating the death of an 11-month-old boy whose body was turned in by his father at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit this morning.

The baby was brought in about 5:30 a.m., and doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, police Sgt. Michael Woody said. He said doctors have indicated they found no visible signs of abuse or neglect on the body, but an autopsy will be performed by the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office.

"There is much work that needs to be done on this," Woody said.

He said the baby's father and mother, who are from Detroit, have been picked up and are being brought to police headquarters for questioning. He did not have their ages; no names have been released because no one has been accused of a crime or charged.

Woody said a man, who turned out to be the baby's father, walked into the hospital on Moross and turned the baby over to doctors. Woody declined to say what the father said at the hospital because of the investigation.

The father left the hospital and walked down the street. A short time later, officers from the 9th Precinct located him, identified the parents and picked up the mother and dad for questioning, Woody said.

Just the father came into the hospital. Woody declined to say where the parents were picked up. He did not know how long the baby had been dead. Woody declined comment on whether the parents have any other children.

Contact Christina Hall: chall99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @challreporter.