Ogden father booked for death of 4-month-old child

OGDEN — A man was arrested Friday after his baby died at the hospital due to “abusive head trauma,” Ogden police say.

Nicholas James Horsley, 26, was booked into the Weber County Jail on suspicion of child abuse homicide – reckless, a first-degree felony, and endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony, according to the police affidavit.

On Dec. 27, 2024, Ogden police responded to a cardiac arrest involving an unresponsive 4-month-old child. When officers arrived, they reported the child was not breathing, and life-saving efforts began until the child was transported to a local hospital.

According to the affidavit, when the child arrived at the Ogden hospital, they were taken to Primary Children’s Hospital due to the severity of the child’s injuries.

“Medical scans revealed that (the child) had sustained a catastrophic brain bleed which was caused by non-accidental Abusive Head Trauma,” the affidavit stated. “(The child) did not survive the inflicted injuries.

During the police investigation, it was found that the child’s parents were the only people who had care and custody when the child sustained their injuries.

According to the affidavit, the mother said the child was healthy until the father, Horsley, took the child into another room.

“Approximately 10-20 minutes later, (Horsley) brought (the child) back to the mother. At this point, (the child) was completely lifeless and not breathing,” the affidavit stated.

Medical professionals reported that the child’s symptoms would have been immediate, and the child would not have been normal after the injuries.

While investigators were at the parent’s home, they observed the couple’s 18-month-old reaching for a “pile of marijuana on the coffee table and had to be encouraged to leave the marijuana alone,” according to the affidavit.

Ogden officers reported that Horsley would smoke the marijuana by burning it, making it illegal to own.

Because the Horsley would have access to his 18-month-old and 6-year-old child, the affidavit recommended he should not receive bail.

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Child abuse resources:

• Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).

Help with Children

Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:

• The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
• Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
• The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
• The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child’s mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.

CSAM Prevention Resources and Victim Recovery: 

• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children provides support to children who are victims of child sexual exploitation through emotional peer support for families, content removal of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and help getting connected to therapists and attorneys. The NCMEC also provides a CyberTipline where CSAM can be reported. Visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources for more information. 
• The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force hosts a hub of resources for parents and offers local help to cases involving child sexual exploitation. 
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) provides a guide of safety measures to take in order to prevent children from being targeted in CSAM cases. 
• Thorn nonprofit organization creates products and programs that combat child sexual abuse at scale. It provides resources for families to help them identify the possible ways children can be exploited online, giving them proper terminology and statistics to keep them educated. For more information, visit https://www.thorn.org/research/child-sexual-abuse-material-csam/ 
• Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).