22-Year-Old Father Accused Of Raping and Killing 8-Month-Old Daughter

A Detroit dad improperly accused of killing and sexually assaulting his infant daughter, who perished on April 23, had his life destroyed by doctors, police, and prosecutors, his attorney claims.

Felony murder, first-degree child abuse, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges against James Lee Saltmarshall, 22, of Detroit, were dismissed Thursday "in the best interest of justice," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office said in a statement on Thursday.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, almost two months after Saltmarshall's 8-month-old daughter, Janiyah, perished, ruled the death an accident.

Meanwhile, Saltmarshall's mugshot, along with allegations he beat and effected tearing to his daughter's rectum had already circulated widely on TV, in print, and on the Internet.

Throughout the case, Saltmarshall maintained his innocence, alleging soon after being released on bond that medical examiners discovered no evidence of abuse.

"They should have never brought charges; never, ever, ever," said Saltmarshall's attorney Lillian Diallo.

"There was no indication of sexual assault; there was no indication of a skull fracture; there was no indication of the shaken baby syndrome; there was no evidence at all behind the charges."

According to a statement from Worthy's office:

After a substantial investigation and based on the June 16, 2017, report from the Wayne County Medical Examiner, it has been assumed that the cause of death of the kid was asphyxia and the manner of death was assumed to be an accident. Mr. Saltmarshall and his daughter were assumed to have slept adjacent to each other on an adult-sized bed and upon waking Mr. Saltmarshall found the kid unresponsive.

According to Lisa Croff, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, Janiyah perished of asphyxia due to "overlay," and the determination was made on June 12, founded on death records.

The prosecutor's revised explanation is much different from what Inkster police said happened at Saltmarshall's arraignment.

"Saltmarshall refuted initially that Janiyah had fallen. He said he tried to pick her up and shook her in an attempt to wake her," Inkster Police Lt. Jeffrey Smith said at the arraignment, according to WJBK-TV, Fox 2 News. "As the interview progressed, (Saltmarshall) said Janiyah initially slipped off the bed on the floor and struck her head. Throughout the interview, Saltmarshall rejected any responsibility for touching and damage to the anus."

Saltmarshall, who was incredibly emotional during his arraignment, told Fox 2 that he fell numb on a bed in an Inkster hotel room with his daughter in his arms. When he woke up, she wasn't breathing. He instantly called 911.

Inkster police, who initiated the investigation, didn't instantly respond to MLive's requests for comment Thursday.

"In this case, there was convincing evidence from the treating doctors that there was an injury to the kid that was a sexual attack and later when the child perished a homicide," Maria Miller, an assistant prosecutor, and a spokeswoman said. "... The treating emergency medical doctors and other health professionals met with the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office and it was assumed that the initial conclusion of a sexual attack and murder was erroneous."

It's not obvious when the medical examiner's office assumed the preliminary results were incorrect.

Diallo, who said Saltmarshall wasn't ready to speak publicly Thursday, is "sad" and in need of counseling.

He missed his daughter's funeral, and as of Thursday, still hadn't been able to learn where she'd been laid to rest.

And his stature will always be tarnished.

"How do you get rid of the smear ... " Diallo said. "There are people who will believe it forever and ever.

"It's on the Internet ... that he's a baby rapist and the murdered of his kid, so everything else is just a footnote."