James Hammond Arrested In 7-Month-Old’s Death

Location: 200 block of Commerce Street, Harrington, DE

Date of Occurrence: Friday February 28, 2014

Victim: Aubri N. Thompson, 7 month old female, Dover, DE

Defendant, Charge, and Bond Information:

James E. Hammond, 44, Harrington, DE (Updated Photo Attached)
Murder by Abuse or Neglect 1st

Arraigned at JP2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $100,000.00 secured bond.

Resume:
Harrington, DE- The Delaware State Police have arrested James E. Hammond this morning after he turned himself in to detectives at Troop 3.

Hammond was wanted in the connection with the death of 7-month-old, Aubri N. Thompson, who was in his care while at his home in the 200 block of Commerce Street in Harrington.

At approximately 6:21 p.m. on Friday February 28, 2014, Aubri was brought into Milford Memorial Hospital Emergency Room by her aunt and the aunt’s boyfriend, James Hammond, in their privately owned vehicle due to Aubri being unresponsive while at the house. Attempts to revive Aubri by medical staff were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at 7:29 p.m.

At the request of the Harrington Police Department, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit was contacted to investigate the incident. Detectives were informed that Aubri had been in the care of her aunt and James Hammond since Tuesday February 25, 2014 while her parents were out of state on vacation. Sometime between 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on February 27, 2014, Hammond was watching Aubri alone when it was alleged that she had fallen to the floor from a crib, although medical attention was not sought until the following day.

On Saturday March 1, 2014 an autopsy was performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who ruled the manner of death to be a homicide by blunt force trauma to her head.

Detectives are continuing their investigation into this incident.