Overview
- Emergency crews responded on Jan. 16 to a 911 call about an unresponsive infant in Orrington, performed CPR that briefly restored breathing, and transported 12-week-old Lyla Samuels to a Bangor hospital.
- Dispatchers were told by a relative that the child’s father, 24-year-old Shawn Samuels, was alone with Lyla for the first time during the incident.
- An autopsy reviewed by Bangor Daily News reported four rib fractures, retinal hemorrhages, and brain swelling, with the chief medical examiner describing the brain bleeding as an acceleration–deceleration injury.
- Samuels was arrested on Jan. 17 on domestic violence elevated aggravated assault and bail-violation charges, then charged with murder on Jan. 19 after the autopsy findings; he has pleaded not guilty and remains held on $250,000 bail.
- Samuels’ next court date is Feb. 13, and court records show he was previously indicted in 2025 on multiple domestic violence-related charges stemming from incidents in 2022 and 2023.