Hatboro man says he fell on baby, charged in death

A Hatboro man has been arrested in the death of his 2-month-old daughter after telling authorities he fell on her while he was drunk.

Edward J. Doyle, 28, was charged with endangering the welfare of children as Montgomery County detectives and Upper Moreland Township police continued their investigation into Makayla Doyle's death Sunday.

He was sent to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility with bail set at $1 million.

About 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Upper Moreland police were called to the home of Doyle and his wife, Nicole Lavelle, 30, in the Wellington Apartments on Horsham Road.

They found Makayla on a bed in the master bedroom, unresponsive and with a red swelling on her forehead, and bruising and cuts on the bridge of her nose, according to a police affidavit. She was pronounced dead at Abington Memorial Hospital at 10:04 a.m.

According to police, Doyle initially said that after drinking six pints of beer at the Willow Grove American Legion post Saturday night, he went home and fell asleep with Makayla nearby in a baby swing. When he awoke, he said, the baby was pale and limp.

Later, Doyle changed his account, police said, and told investigators that after returning from the Legion post, he and Lavelle were at a neighbor's apartment, leaving daughters Makayla and 15-month-old Mackenzie alone.

Makayla was crying when Doyle returned alone, so he took her out of the baby swing, he told police. He was walking away when he tripped on the swing, fell forward, and landed on top of her. She seemed fine, he said, so he put her back in the swing.

"Doyle told detectives that he should not have been caring for Makayla as he 'drank too much,' " the police affidavit said.

Lavelle said she returned home from the neighbor's apartment about 4 a.m., and went to bed after seeing what she believed was her husband and daughter asleep, the affidavit said.

Authorities Monday were awaiting the results of an autopsy by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office. On Tuesday, Doyle is scheduled to be arraigned, and the District Attorney's Office said it would hold a news conference on the case.