SF Police Arrest Man In Toddler Death

by Ashley Kringen, Reporter
December 27, 2012 9:39 PM


A Sioux Falls man has been arrested in connection to the death of an 18-month-old boy.

Manegabe Chebea Ally, who is 24, is faced with manslaughter and murder charges.

Court documents said Ally is the boyfriend of the victim's mother.

Some toddlers over the Holidays could have opened presents for the first time, but that wasn't the case for the 18-month-old, who was rushed to the hospital on Christmas Eve and later died Christmas Day.

"The initial call came in on Christmas Eve about 2:45 in the afternoon of a toddler medical emergency," said Sgt. Tim Hagen.

Court documents said the incident took place at the Sycamore Village Apartments, when Ally, was watching the little boy and his six-year-old sister.

Ally said he heard the boy "cried once," and when he went to check on the child, the boy was lying on the ground with blood coming from the corner of his mouth, he then called 911.

"The report was that he fell out of his bed and was unresponsive," said Hagen.

Responders quickly went to work and tried to save the little boy.

"When rescue arrived the child was not breathing, resuscitation efforts did get a heartbeat back," said Hagen.

After medical personnel were able to regain the boy's pulse, he was rushed to Avera McKennan Hospital.

Medical examiners found severe swelling to the little boy's head and bruises all over his body.

An autopsy confirmed the boy died from "blunt force injury to the head," causing a large fracture to his skull, an injury the medical examiner says is unlikely to result from falling off of a bed onto a carpeted floor.

Ally is charged with two counts of murder and three counts of manslaughter.

Now that Ally is in police custody, investigators will continue to gather evidence about the alleged beating that took the life of a little boy on Christmas.

“It's going to continue until we find out exactly what happened," said Hagen.

This incident took place when the little boy's mother, Kasangu Katoke, who is 24, was at work.
According to the papers, the mother said her live in boyfriend; the man who allegedly killed her son was the primary care giver for her kids because she works six days a week.
She told police she had no concerns about the health of her children the day of the alleged murder.

Ally will make his first court appearance Friday afternoon.