Adrien Dokes, 18, has been charged with first degree murder in perpetuation of aggravated child abuse after Knoxville Police Department officers responded to an unresponsive infant on Thursday night. 

At around 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2025, KPD officers were dispatched to a report that a three-month-old boy was unresponsive at an apartment at 322 Forestal Drive. The child had sustained multiple severe injuries and passed away at the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital at just after midnight. 

Further investigation revealed that the child was in the care of Dokes, the child’s father, when he sustained the injuries that led to his death. 

Dokes, who was detained by responding officers and later questioned by KPD Homicide Unit and Special Crimes detectives, was taken into custody and charged with first degree murder in perpetuating of child abuse. 

The circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation. The victim will undergo an autopsy at the Regional Forensic Center to further evaluate the cause of death and full extent of his injuries.