(MOBILE, Ala.) - The night of January 20 was a horrific night for a 2-year-old Mobile girl.
What happened in that Airport Boulevard apartment would cost that little girl her life.
Police say Kennedy Forrest was burned so badly she would die three weeks later in a Birmingham hospital.
She had second and third degree burns over much of her body.
And investigators believe the man who lived here is to blame.
He is 24-year-old Jeremy Lenard James. He is believed to be the boyfriend of the little girl's mother.
"What we have determined is the suspect put the child in a hot both tub," says Mobile Police Cpl. Chris Levy. "The water was too hot for the child and that's what caused the burns. The child also had some marks as a result of a spanking."
James was arrested the next day and charged with one count of willful abuse of a child under 18 years old.
He was released on bond that same day.
But the days that followed his arrest were agonizing ones for little Kennedy's family who saw her condition worsen until Monday night, when she died in that Birmingham hospital room.
Her body was scheduled to return to Mobile Tuesday, with an autopsy scheduled for Wednesday.
Once the cause of death has been made official, the charges against James could change.
"We'll continue the investigation to see if an upgrade in charges is necessary," says Levy. "We'll be working with the DA's office to determine what is appropriate."
A member of the district attorney's staff says it has not changed James' charges, but the case has been given to the DA's murder team for evaluation.
The results of the autopsy will be key as to what happens next.
According to court records, James' next court appearance is a preliminary hearing set for March 7.
