Inset left top to bottom: Elizabeth LynnLanor Hogan and Devin Austin Brown-Fowler (Oceana County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Maverick Lyle Bouck (Obituary). Background: The area where the defendants and victim lived in Greenwood Township, Mich. (Google Maps).
A couple from Michigan faces incarceration following the tragic death of a baby boy earlier this year, according to state authorities.
Elizabeth LynnLanor Hogan, aged 27, and Devin Austin Brown-Fowler, 34, are charged with multiple counts of child abuse, including second, third, and fourth degrees, as reported by the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office.
This incident dates back several months.
On the evening of May 4, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the couple’s home on South 192nd Avenue in Greenwood Township, a small community approximately 60 miles from Grand Rapids.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered 7-month-old Maverick Lyle Bouck, who had passed away. Initial information about the circumstances was limited.
“We are still in the early stages of the investigation,” Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast conveyed to the Oceana County Press. “This is a heartbreaking situation, and our deepest sympathies are with the family as we work to uncover the facts.”
Now, two members of the family are facing significant – but not the most serious – charges, and authorities have provided more details about what caused the infant to die well before his time.
“He had three skull fractures, three broken ribs and a brain bleed — he passed from the brain bleed,” the child’s grandmother – and the female defendant’s mother – told the County Press.
The boy’s grandmother went on to lay more of the blame at her daughter’s feet, as opposed to similar culpability for the boyfriend, due to one of the skull fractures being an “older fracture.”
The child’s obituary remembers his too-brief life in fond terms:
Maverick was a happy healthy joyful boy who loved to eat. This chunky boy was fitting into 12-month clothes at 7 months. He was starting to crawl and roll over a lot. He loved and adored his sisters. Maverick loved going for car rides and falling asleep or being pulled in his Radio Flyer red wagon. Even though he was here such a short time he experienced a lot. Like a car show the week after he came to life. Races, monster trucks, and so many loud noises that never seemed to bother him. Whatever it is we did as parents, he did. He learned to fly before he could walk or talk, but he will forever be in our hearts and never forgotten.
The defendants are not currently facing homicide charges.
In comments to the County Press, Oceana County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Bizon explained why such legal jeopardy is not in the offing.
“Murder and manslaughter charges include an element of intent related to desired outcome,” the prosecutor told the local newspaper. “The evidence does not support such a conclusion.”
On Nov. 24, the couple was arraigned on the charges they face.
Both Hogan and Brown-Fowler are detained in the Oceana County Jail. The female defendant has bond set at $25,000; the male defendant has bond set at $50,000. They are slated to appear in court for preliminary exams on Dec. 9.
