CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS (NewsFirst) —
NEWS RELEASE
City of Carbondale, Illinois
02/16/24
For Immediate Release
CARBONDALE – On 02-28-21, Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri contacted the Carbondale Police Department regarding an injured infant they were treating. The child had been transferred to their hospital from the Memorial Hospital of Carbondale that same day. The infant was treated for what was described as severe life-threatening injuries. The child ultimately died as a result of the injuries. The Carbondale Police Department initiated an immediate investigation upon receiving the notification from Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The investigation has been ongoing since the notification.
On 02-07-24, with the assistance of the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued for First Degree Murder for Melvin Daniels, 28 years old, of Chicago, Illinois. Daniels is the biological father of the victim. On 02-13-24, Daniels was arrested by the U.S. Marshal Service in Chicago, Illinois. Daniels was extradited from Cook County to Jackson County and has since had his pre-trial detention hearing. He was released from custody on pre-trial conditions.
The Carbondale Police Department has been assisted in this Investigation by Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the Jackson County States Attorney’s Office, the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, the Chicago Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the City of Carbondale Police Department at (618) 549-2121. You may also call the Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (618) 549-COPS (2677) or the Murphysboro/Jackson County anonymous tip line at (618) 687-COPS (2677). Anonymous tips may also be made by selecting the “Crime Stoppers” tab on this website’s main page. Please help yourself and your county, its communities, and the university campus by using these numbers if you witness or have any information about a crime. Cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest are also made anonymously. Remember, crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does!
The mission of the Carbondale Police Department is to work in partnership with our community to preserve life, protect human rights, protect property and improve quality of life by providing police service to all in a fair, sensitive, and professional manner.
