Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A Genoa Township man will serve prison time for the death of his infant son more than three years ago.

28-year-old Joshua Alan Woy was charged with open murder and 1st degree child abuse in the June 2019 death of 2-month-old Kane Woy.

Woy earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of homicide-manslaughter in exchange for the original two counts being dropped. He was sentenced in Livingston County Circuit Court recently and ordered to serve 13 to 30 years in prison, with credit for 974 days served.

Kane Woy was pronounced dead at the scene after Michigan State Police were called to a Genoa Township residence on the report of an unresponsive child. An autopsy determined the child had suffered a skull fracture, multiple brain hemorrhages, optic nerve damage, and a fractured right arm. The cause of death was listed as homicide by blunt force trauma.

An additional autopsy was conducted by the University of Michigan Child Protection Team with testimony indicating the child also had other injuries that indicated ongoing physical abuse.

Police say Woy told them that he was rocking his son shortly after the boy’s mother had left for work when the child struck his head. He told authorities that after laying him down, the child took a deep breath and then stopped breathing. He called the boy’s mother who told him to call police. Woy also said he had tripped about a week before the death and hit his son’s head on a door frame.

The child’s mother previously testified that she never witnessed Woy be impatient with the child and in her experience, he treated the boy well.

Woy has been held without bond in the case.