Toddler's father speaks out

The father of a 17-month-old toddler who suffered serious head trauma Friday said his son remains at a Spokane hospital and is in a coma with limited brain function.

Antonio Wilburn of Rathdrum said his son, Maliki, will likely be “terminally brain-dead.”

“Which means he still can be alive on life support, but he’s going to be sleeping the whole time,” Wilburn said.

The child’s stepfather, Joseph John Davis, 31, was arrested Friday on suspicion of injuring the toddler.

Wilburn said his ex-wife had left Maliki home alone with Davis for about 20 minutes when she went to the store.

Coeur d’Alene police and medical personnel were later called to the Fifth Street home where they found the toddler with signs of head trauma and having difficulty breathing. Maliki was transported to Kootenai Health and then flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Davis claimed he didn’t know what caused the baby’s injuries, according to officers who questioned him at the scene. The man was later interviewed by Coeur d’Alene police detectives and placed under arrest.

Wilburn said the child suffered a significant amount of internal bleeding.

He and his ex-wife are feeling overwhelmed by the situation, he said.

“It sucks. He’s 17 months old. He’s only been walking for two months,” Wilburn said.

Police in Coeur d’Alene are continuing to investigate the incident. No additional information was available Sunday.