By Robert Allen and L.L. Brasier, Detroit Free Press Staff Writers

An infant found dead along with her father in an Oakland County home over the weekend died of blunt force trauma to the head, while the father had a deep laceration across his neck from a box cutter, authorities said today.

The death of the 7-month-old Charley Lillian Hendrick was ruled a homicide, while the cause of death for her father is still pending, based on autopsies conducted this morning, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The bodies of Daryne Gailey, 29, and his daughter were discovered Sunday morning in Gailey's home in Oxford Township in northern Oakland County after he failed to return the girl to her mother from weekend visitation. An injured 65-year-old woman was also found in the house with lacerations to her arm. She remained hospitalized and detectives have not been able to interview her yet.

There was no sign of forced entry to the home. Investigators do not believe someone entered the home and attacked the family, but rather the attacks involved someone in the home already.

Gailey,who was mentally disabled, was described by friends, neighbors and co-workers as a gentle person and loving father. He was recently divorced, according to Oakland County court records. Earlier this year, a personal protection order was placed on his behalf against his ex-wife, but was lifted last July, according to court records.

Daryne Gailey of Oxford Township filed for divorce about six months after marrying Amanda Hendrick in August 2013. With the divorce pending, his mother, Sylvia Majewska, had filed for the protection order, saying his wife, Amanda Gailey was diagnosed bipolar and had grown increasingly violent, kicking him in the groin and throwing a cell phone at him, according to court records. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca granted the order, although Amanda Gailey denied the allegations.

The father and daughter were found in a home on the 100 block of Kintyre near M-24/Lapeer Road in Oxford Township, after police responded to the house on a missing person report. The injured woman, whose name hasn't been released but police said is believed to be Daryne Gailey's mother, was admitted to a Pontiac hospital for treatment.

A box cutter was taken from the home as evidence, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Gailey worked as a clerk at the Kroger grocery store in Lake Orion, less than 2 miles from his house, said a woman at the store who identified herself as an assistant manager but declined to give her name. She said Daryne Gailey had worked there for 15 years.

"We all loved Daryne, he had a great big heart," she said. "He loved working here and serving the community… We're just all in shock, and we all deal with this in our own way."

Daryne Gailey had lifelong cognitive learning disabilities and a seizure disorder. As a result, his mother was appointed his guardian when he was a child. In January, she sought to have her son's marriage annulled, saying he did not have the capacity to marry.

A divorce was filed in February, on behalf of Daryne Gailey, and Amanda Gailey was granted full physical and legal custody of the baby. Daryne Gailey was granted visitation every other Friday night, as long as his mother was present. The divorce/annulment was final Nov. 3.

Amanda Gailey did not respond to efforts by the Free Press to reach her via Facebook.

The sheriff's office dispatched deputies to Gailey's house at about 9:50 a.m. Sunday after his father had called saying it seemed unusual that he hadn't heard from his son. They'd previously been to the house after Hendrick called and said the child was supposed to be returned Saturday night, but wasn't, Deputies then checked the house and another Oxford location, but couldn't find them.

Sheriff's Sgt. Dale Brown said Sunday that it was "a very chaotic scene" and that there didn't appear to be signs of forced entry into the home.

Neighbors say it was shocking and bizarre to discover the loving father who cared about his ex-wife could die in such an awful way.

Michele and Charles Miller, who live nearby, said Gailey was thrilled to have a daughter.

"If you'd seen his phone, he had pictures and pictures," Michele Miller said.

But they said his mother had wanted the baby given up for adoption.

"Daryne's mom and dad didn't want nothing to do with it -- didn't want nothing to do with the baby," Charles Miller said, adding that Gailey's mother pushed for the divorce against his will. "Daryne didn't want to be divorced."

Michele Miller described the relationship between Gailey and his mother as: "She controls him and everything he does."

The Millers said police would often be called to the house when the mother was there, and they would notice arguing. Gailey's father, who is divorced from Gailey's mother and now lives in Huntington Woods, declined to comment for this article, according to a woman who answered the door at his home.

The Millers said they never noticed any problems when Gailey was with Hendrick. They also said he was well-liked and never seemed to get very upset.

"He never talked bad about his mother," Michele Miller said. He would sometimes remark that she needed to let him make his own decisions, Charles Miller added.

The couple purchased a memorial plaque to add to a growing memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and more in the Gailey home's front yard Monday. They said he was a good neighbor, taking care of his yard, dog and house the several years he lived there.

"He would help out anybody," Michele Miller said. "He used to walk down here and shovel people's driveways, mow their lawns just for something to do."

Free Press reporter Christina Hall contributed to this report.

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or@rallenMI