Baby injured over weekend dies at hospital

BARTOW - A 7-month-old baby authorities say was severely injured by his stepfather over the weekend has died.

Lakeland police say the baby, Mark Ward, was taken off life support Thursday. Authorities had already charged 29-year-old Ryan Joe Clarke on Monday with attempted felony murder and aggravated child abuse, and those charges will likely be upgraded.

Police say Clarke was watching the baby at his mother-in-law's home on Saturday. When the woman returned home, the baby was reportedly cold and having trouble breathing. A doctor a Lakeland hospital determined that the baby had a fractured skull and was bleeding on the brain.

After changing his story several times, police say Clarke admitted that he had hit Mark's head against the wall four times out of frustration.