Investigators say 10-month-old Edward Hayes was found unresponsive after William Jacobs watched him in a Cañon City motel room.
CAÑON CITY, Colo. — The tragic death of 10-month-old Edward Hayes inside a Cañon City Motel 6 is again headed toward court after Colorado judges revived charges against William Jacobs, the man accused of killing him.
The renewed prosecution brings fresh attention to the hours before emergency crews reached the motel on May 21, 2023. Police said Jacobs had been caring for Edward while the baby’s mother, Brook Crawford, worked. The case was halted for nearly a year after a judge dismissed the charges over a prosecutor’s televised comments, but the Colorado Court of Appeals reversed that dismissal on May 21, 2026.
Investigators placed the start of the case in a motel room where Jacobs, Crawford and the baby had been living. Police said Edward became unresponsive and was taken for emergency medical care. He was later pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs. Jacobs was arrested after police said he was the last person known to have watched the child. Former District Attorney Linda Stanley said in a 2023 interview that investigators had “a whole lot of things indicative of a prior incident with that baby.” Her comments became a major legal issue, but the appeals court later said the charging decision came before the interview and was not caused by it.
The relationship between Jacobs and Crawford developed quickly, according to court records. Jacobs was staying at the same motel where Crawford worked as a front desk clerk. The pair began dating and soon moved into the room where Edward was later found with signs of abuse. Prosecutors alleged Jacobs offered to babysit the child. Stanley described that offer in stark terms during a television interview, saying Jacobs was watching the baby so he could have “a place to sleep” and pursue Crawford. The appellate court called the comments improper, but it ruled they were not enough by themselves to erase charges tied to a child’s death.
Statements attributed to Jacobs are expected to be central if the case moves toward trial. Court records cited by local news outlets said Jacobs admitted during a police interview that he bit Edward on the arm while playing with him. The records also said Jacobs told detectives the child’s head hit a door frame while Jacobs was trying to make him vomit. KOAA reported that an affidavit described Jacobs saying Edward hit his head on a wall and light fixture while in Jacobs’ care. The same report said Jacobs used an infant-sized doll to demonstrate how he disciplined the child in a way he compared to disciplining his dog. Prosecutors have not yet presented those claims to a trial jury.
The account of a nurse staying in a nearby room adds another layer to the motel timeline. Reports said the nurse heard sounds from the room and later saw Edward’s condition. She called 911 and began CPR after the baby was found unresponsive. That sequence may help prosecutors build a minute-by-minute account of what happened before emergency responders arrived. It also may give the defense a chance to challenge what was heard, when the nurse entered the room and what the baby’s condition was at that point. No trial testimony has been taken in front of a jury because the case was dismissed before reaching that stage.
The medical evidence described in public records points to severe head trauma. Reports said Edward died from blunt force head injuries and brain bleeding after he was taken from the motel to the hospital. Prosecutors charged Jacobs with murder in the first degree involving a victim under 12, child abuse knowingly causing death and child abuse knowingly causing serious bodily injury. Those charges require the state to prove more than a tragic accident. The prosecution will need to connect Edward’s injuries to Jacobs’ conduct and show the mental state required under Colorado law. Jacobs’ defense will likely focus on the reliability of statements, timing and medical conclusions.
The case left the trial track in 2024 after Jacobs argued that Stanley’s public remarks made a fair proceeding impossible. District Court Judge Kaitlin Turner agreed and dismissed the charges. Stanley had called Jacobs a “live-in babysitter” and said he “knows what he did” during the interview. The Colorado Court of Appeals disagreed with the remedy, saying dismissal should be used sparingly when misconduct did not create the charges. Judge Elizabeth L. Harris wrote that the court did not condone Stanley’s actions, but she said the legal standard for outrageous government conduct is stricter than the ordinary meaning of the word outrageous.
Stanley’s role in the case has already ended. She was disbarred and removed from office in November 2024 after ethical violations, and the 11th Judicial District later came under new leadership. District Attorney Jeff Lindsey’s office pursued the appeal that revived the case. The appellate ruling means the prosecution may return to Fremont County District Court, where a judge will decide the next procedural steps. That could include a new arrest or bond hearing, scheduling orders, motions about evidence and arguments over how to handle jurors who may have seen the earlier news coverage.
Crawford, Edward’s mother, also faced court scrutiny after the baby’s death. Reports said she was charged separately, with some charges later reduced. Public reporting has placed her at work when police responded to the motel. Her role could become part of witness testimony, especially because she knew both Edward and Jacobs and because the motel front desk is where the adults reportedly met. The court record has not shown that Crawford caused the fatal injuries. The revived case against Jacobs remains focused on whether he inflicted the harm prosecutors say killed Edward.
The investigation now returns to a court process interrupted by a dispute over public speech by a prosecutor. The next known step is for Fremont County District Court to take up the case again after the appeals court sent it back for further proceedings.
Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.