TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A western Indiana man killed himself by slamming his car into a stone wall, apparently because he was distraught over the death of his girlfriend's 21-month-old son in his care, a coroner said Wednesday.
Vigo County Coroner Dr. Roland Kohr had previously ruled that the death of Benjamin Chiddister, 26, was a suicide based on wounds he found on Chiddister's body and evidence found at the Terre Haute home he had shared with his girlfriend and the boy.
Kohr told The Associated Press Wednesday he interprets the evidence to mean Chiddister was distraught over the boy's death and decided to take his own life.
"We think that's why he took the final action he did. Unfortunately, the only person who knows what happened to the little boy is [Chiddister] and he's gone," he told The Associated Press.
Chiddister's girlfriend found her toddler son, Sylus Eder, unresponsive in his crib about 8 p.m. Sunday when she returned home from work. Attempts to revive the boy were unsuccessful, and Kohr has ruled that the boy died from blunt force trauma to the head.
About an hour before the boy was found, police said Chiddister died from head and chest injuries when he drove his car into a stone retaining wall at high speed in far eastern Vigo County.
Kohr told the Tribune-Star he believes Chiddister had previously attempted suicide, based the amount of Chiddister's blood found at the home and sharp force injuries on Chiddister's wrist and neck that he found did not occur in Sunday's crash.
Investigators said Chiddister left a note at his girlfriend's home expressing regret. Police have not disclosed the contents of that note.
Kohr said toxicology results are pending on the child but it's unclear whether they will shed any light on how the boy was injured. Kohr said there is no evidence to differentiate if the child's head injury came from a fall or a blow to the head.
He said the child sustained a fractured skull with minimal bleeding on the brain.
"Right now, we have a lot of unanswered questions that I'm not sure will ever be answered," Kohr said.
Chiddister had no alcohol in his system but was positive for marijuana, although that doesn't explain his "bizarre" actions to end his own life, Kohr said.
Kohr said the boy appeared to be well-cared for and had no other injuries on his body other than those typical for a 21-month-old child. He said investigators have determined that the child lived in a home that was neat and orderly.
Terre Haute police were investigating the child's death. The Vigo County Sheriff's Department investigated the auto crash but has not released details such as the speed of the vehicle at the time of the crash.
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