Abused baby declared brain dead

A 2-month-old baby who police say was abused by his mother’s boyfriend is brain dead. Izayah Arlen Wayne Denison is on artificial ventilation for possible organ donation, said a Sacred Heart Medical Center spokeswoman. He was taken to the hospital Friday after medics found him unresponsive about 10 p.m. at his home in the 1400 block of East 7th Avenue, according to Spokane police. A neighbor was attempting CPR. Police were called to the hospital’s emergency room to investigate the abuse and arrested Andrew W. Whitmire, 22, who remains in the Spokane County Jail on a first-degree child assault charge. That charge will likely be upgraded to murder. Izayah was born Oct. 2 at Sacred Heart to Jenauh Denison of Spokane, according to newspaper records. He weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. Izayah is the second Spokane baby to have been killed by a mother’s boyfriend in 2008, according to police. Jereme J. Bassett, 23, is scheduled for trial in January for first-degree murder in connection with the March death of Nevaeh Alana Miller, 7 months.