Inset: Jaravion Nichols (Peoria County Jail). Background: The Peoria County Jail in Peoria, Ill., (Peoria County Sheriff”s Office).
An Illinois man is facing serious charges after allegedly inflicting severe injuries on his 2-month-old son, leaving the infant with brain bleeding and multiple fractures.
Twenty-year-old Jaravion Nichols has been formally charged with aggravated battery to a child, as announced by the City of Peoria Police Department in a statement.
Nichols was indicted on Tuesday and is currently held in the Peoria County Jail without bail.
The incident unfolded on December 12, 2025, around 5 p.m., when Peoria police were called to a local hospital. A 2-month-old infant, who had been dropped off by someone in a vehicle, was found in critical condition with significant head trauma, according to a police press release.
Upon further examination, medical staff discovered the infant had sustained even more severe injuries. These included multiple brain bleeds, bleeding in the eyes, brain swelling, as well as rib and leg fractures, as reported by the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office in their release.
Authorities launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the baby’s injuries after medical experts indicated that the trauma appeared non-accidental. Police conducted interviews with several individuals who had recent contact with the baby, yet none could provide a plausible explanation consistent with the medical findings.
Officers continued to investigate, and after speaking with family members of the child, “investigators learned that the defendant was the sole person caring for the baby during the time the injuries occurred.”
With such information, investigators now had their suspect, and police located Nichols in the 2000 block of Northeast Jefferson Avenue in the city, and he was detained and interviewed.
On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted the defendant on the aggravated battery to a child charge, and he was subsequently arrested. As of Wednesday, the investigation was said to be ongoing.
Nichols is expected to be arraigned on Feb. 5.
