NAMED: Man charged with toddler’s murder

A man charged over the death of little Jaylen has been named. It comes after family friends revealed they believed the toddler died as a result of a tragic accident.

Jaylen with mother Savannah-Rose Wilson

A man charged with murder over the death of a toddler has been named.

Police last night charged a 33-year-old man with one count of murder over the death of baby Jaylen after paramedics were called to his family’s home at Burpengary, north of Brisbane, on the afternoon of December 30.

The man was identified today as Aaron Harley James, who is understood to be Jaylen’s stepfather.

According to court documents he works as a painter.

James’ matter was mentioned briefly in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.

He did not appear and there was no application bail.

The matter was adjourned until March 28.

A woman, believed to be Jaylen’s mother Savannah-Rose Wilson, was in court for James’ matter.

She did not comment on leaving the court building

Jaylen was found seriously injured on December 30.

In a post for an online fundraiser, a friend of Jaylen’s family said the 16-month-old slipped and fell in an accident at his Staaten St home.

“He had an accident on December 30th, 2021,” the GoFundMe page said.

“He had heard his dad’s voice from the room and came running to see him and have a cuddle but unfortunately, he slipped on the floor in the hallway and fell.

“He was taken to the hospital and placed in ICU for nine days, where he passed due to the doctors being ­unable to save him, as the ­(extent) of the damage was too severe.”

Jaylen’s injuries were too much for his little body, and the youngster died at the Queensland Children’s Hospital on January 8.

A man has since been charged with his murder.

Police had been considering the circumstances of the boy’s death, and on Wednesday, Pine Rivers Child Protection Investigation Unit officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Joe Zitny announced a homicide investigation had been launched.

Hours later, they announced the 33-year-old man had been charged with murder.

Sen-Sgt Zitny revealed the boy’s mother, Savannah-Rose Wilson, was at the home with her partner when paramedics were called about 2:40pm on December 30.

It is understood one of the pair called triple-0.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sen-Sgt Zitny said the child’s cause of death was yet to be determined, however there were “some indications that have assisted police inquiries,” following an autopsy on the boy’s body. When asked why police were investigating Jaylen’s death as suspicious, Sen-Sgt Zitny said he was limited on what he could reveal.

“I’m limited in what I can say in relation to that, however what I can say is what we do know has led us to form that belief,” he said.

The woman who organised the fundraiser to cover Jaylen’s funeral expenses said she had only met the toddler days before he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Police at the Burpengary house yesterday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

She said he was “a beautiful baby”.

“Was no trouble at all, (he) came to me almost immediately. A lovely boy … I had carried him around the house.”

Ms Wilson had previously posted many photos online of her boy, including one image of the youngster strapped into a car seat capsule.

The caption on the photograph said: “Big day running around with the older kids, think(s) he’s a big boy too, not napping today.”

“Growing up so fast now, even at kindy where he got the bruises,” the post continued.

One Staaten St resident, who asked not to be identified, said the child’s death was a tragedy. As a mother, the woman said the news of the child’s death “hits really hard”.

“It actually hits really hard to hear that a little child’s life has been lost,” the woman said.

“It is really sad this has happened and I don’t wish anyone to go through it, or anyone to go through it, and it is really sad a child’s life has been lost.”

The woman said she had returned home from a family day out to find the ambulance parked across the driveway of the Staaten St house on December 30.