A newborn boy had multiple broken bones and a critical illness when he was taken to hospital by a family member who is now in custody over the boy's death.
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A 26-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter (DV) and was refused bail to appear before Albury Local Court on May 9 over the four-week-old's July 2023 death.
The man was in Albury on May 9 to visit his children, and was walking along the street when arrested by police.
Police said the man was the late baby's family member, but would not confirm if he was the four-week-old's father.
Detective Inspector Peter Owen said the 26-year-old man took the injured boy to Wagga hospital on July 27, 2023, with alleged "non-accidentally inflicted injuries" and a critical illness.
The infant was then transferred to Sydney Children's Hospital, where he died on July 31 of that year.
Strike Force Wighton was established and detectives interviewed multiple people and sought assistance from the NSW Crime Commission.
"Strike force investigations that are homicide-based take a long time," Detective Inspector Owen said outside Albury police station, where the arrested man is being held.
"We've interviewed a lot of people and unfortunately we weren't able to establish what happened to the child by interviewing those people.
"We did receive some assistance from the Crime Commission, who held hearings into the matter.
"We are here today at the time of arrest, which is a real tribute to that strike force team.
"The 26-year-old man, who is in custody now, is the person who took the boy to hospital."
Detective Inspector Owen said prior to the incident, the man was not adversely known to police, with no history of domestic violence and no protection orders in place.
The man will have the opportunity to speak to a lawyer and police will then seek to question him.
"It's coming up to two years of consistent, dedicated work from a small team of regional detectives, the dedication and the devotion to this job is an absolute credit to those detectives," he said.
Detective Inspector Owen said the late boy had two siblings who were "safe and well".
Their mother lives in Wagga, and the arrested man also lives in Wagga.
"It's touched a lot of community members in the Wagga Wagga area, a lot of service providers and police as well," he said.
"Police are human, we're all parents, we all protect our children.
"This particular strike force team has worked hard to come to this point today and I'm proud of them."
No charges had been pressed as of about midday on May 9.
"We're yet to speak to the man, and that may change things," Detective Inspector Owen said.
"It has certainly been a homicide investigation from the commencement of our strike force."
The policeman urged anyone who suspected a child was subject to abuse to notify police or call the Child Protection Helpline on 13 21 11.
