In New York, Adrian Thomas, 26, faces murder charges for the death of his infant son, Matthew Thomas.

In New York, Adrian Thomas, 26 years-old faces murder charges for the death of his infant son. He was arraigned in Rensselaer County. Matthew Thomas died Tuesday, September 23 at Albany Medical Center Hospital due to injuries from severe brain trauma. His twin brother, Malichi, is not injured and remains well.  

Matthew and his siblings had been the subject of County Child Protective Service investigations on two prior occasions. The tragic incidents that caused Matthew to sustain severe head injuries leading to his death occurred over the past couple weeks when his father allegedly threw him onto a bed forcefully on a few occasions. 

A funeral service has been held.  

Experts have identified abusive parents or caregivers as having risk factors such as substance abuse, low self-esteem, mental or physical disability, depression, history of abuse as a child, poor coping skills, poor impulse control, history of violent behavior or history of being raised in a group setting with no positive parental role. 

Infants at risk include infants less than one year age, male infants, infants of twin or multiple births, premature infants, infants with health problems and infants that have inconsolable crying spells. Adults at risk for committing abusive acts include adults with poor coping skills, unrealistic expectations, substance abuse, former victims of abuse and adults with mental health problems. Environmental factors that usually culminate in abusive events include social isolation, dysfunctional family characteristics and socio-economic burdens. 

All children are potential victims of child abuse, but some factors increase the risk for a child to be abused.