Father charged in beating death of 11-month-old

Deputies found the boy's body half-buried in sandy soil on the edge of a rural property in Flora Vista. The 11-month-old had been fatally beaten and there was dirt in his airway — suggesting he had been buried alive.

Those details were released on Friday as the boy's father, John Hannon, 43, was charged with child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence in the case. Hannon, who was also wanted on unrelated drug charges, is behind bars at the San Juan County Detention Center.

He has not been assigned an attorney.

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office responded Sunday to a property on the edge of N.M. 516 after a neighbor reported a man had pushed a stroller through their yard and the stroller was later found abandoned.

The next day, Hannon's mother called 911 to report her grandson, identified only as "JR," missing, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Magistrate Court. The baby was last seen in a stroller with Hannon, leaving the property.

Deputies searched the area and found the baby's clothes, but when they arrested Hannon at his RV, he denied having a son, the affidavit states. When they searched a neighboring property, deputies found JR.

"The child's head was mostly buried with only his right ear being exposed. The child's left arm was also buried, but his torso and legs were visible," according to the affidavit. An autopsy found the baby had a skull fracture and dirt in his airway, "which led the doctor to believe that JR may have been alive when his head was buried in the dirt."

The affidavit states deputies confronted Hannon with photos of the baby's clothes and body, and "he threw himself to the floor and exclaimed, 'I made a mistake.'" Hannon said he had become angry and hurt JR but would not elaborate.

Deputies said they asked Hannon if he loved his children and he said "at one point in time" but that he had changed — becoming somber. The affidavit states, "Any time John was asked a hard question... he would act out by throwing himself on the ground or changing the subject."

Deputies were told Hannon uses methamphetamines and he "appeared to be under the influence" when he was arrested, according to the affidavit.