Portage man who was babysitting 18-month-old boy now charged with his death

PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A Portage man has been charged with the murder of a toddler from December 2022.

29-year-old Brandon Bryce Sullivan was arraigned and charged with Felony Murder and Child Abuse 1st Degree in Kalamazoo County’s Courthouse Monday, March 27.

Court Documents indicated that blunt force head trama was the cause of death of 18-month-old Jacob Flowers. Sullivan was arrested and taken into custody on Saturday, March 25.

Authorities say the boy died when he was under the care of Sullivan and his girlfriend, who were watching him in their home at Vista Apartments and Townhomes, formerly known as Anna’s Vineyard Apartments.

Emergency personnel were called out to the apartment on that day and found that the toddler was unresponsive but still had a pulse. The 18-month-old was then transported to Bronson Hospital where he died a day later.

An autopsy report received last Wednesday by Portage Public Safety determined the cause of death to be homicide. The findings were then submitted to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s office who then issued a warrant on Sullivan for Felony Murder and Child Abuse 1st Degree.