Fayette County Man Charged With Murder In Young Child’s Death

A Fayette County man is jailed on first-degree murder charges, for the death of a young child for whom he was a caretaker.

The case began April 30, 2018, when Fayette County sheriff's officials were contacted by the Iowa Department of Human Services, about a four-week-old child, who had suffered brain injuries. The child, identified as Holten Smith of rural Westgate, was initially taken to the Sumner Hospital the night before, after his guardians reported that the child was having seizures.

Holten was transferred to University Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where he died about a month later.

Following an investigation, 22-year-old Dean Hettinger of Westgate was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death.

At the time of his arrest, Hettinger was being held in the Black Hawk County Jail in Waterloo on unrelated charges. Hettinger was then transferred to the Fayette County Jail in West Union, where he's being held on $1 million bond.