NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – A man was arrested April 24 in connection to the death of an 20-month toddler, according to court documents.

Officers responded to 36 Cedar Ave around 7:46 a.m. April 5 to find the toddler unconscious on a mattress. The toddler was pronounced dead four minutes later, according to court documents.

The documents mentioned the man accused, Zai-Twond Perry, was babysitting the toddler at the time of his death.

Perry told detectives that he caught the toddler playing with his own feces, which prompted him to give the toddler a bath. The court docs further mention that while bathing the toddler, Perry squeezed the boys ribs in frustration, which align with the hand placement and brusing discovered during the autopsy.

Court docs say the autopsy, performed by Dr. Gunter of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, noticed several internal injuries that were inflicted on the toddler, including multiple broken ribs, a three-inch laceration to the liver which caused internal bleeding, and the preliminary stages of Shaken Baby Syndrome, which caused brain bleeding.

Perry further told detectives that throughout the day he texted the toddler’s mother, Shammia Lindsay-Holliday, the toddler “gotta go” while expressing his frustrations, according to court docs.

When asked about the injuries to the toddler’s head, court docs say Perry told officers that he his hit head on the side of the tub, which was not consistent with the trauma to his head discovered in the autopsy.

Perry was then charged with second-degree murder and felony child neglect. He was already in custody on unrelated charges.

Perry is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 2 at 8:30 a.m.

WAVY has confirmed Perry is listed on the sex offender website, with an original registration date of May 2018.