Person of interest in infant's death at Milford motel is arrested

Police have arrested a person of interest after an infant was found in a bathtub in a motel room in Milford Wednesday morning.

The cleaning staff at the Mayflower Motel on Woodmont Road found the infant in a vacated room just after 11 a.m., according to police.

Arriving officers performed CPR on the baby until paramedics arrived. Paramedics continued life-saving measures and the infant was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital and was pronounced dead just before noon.

Authorities said they were looking to speak with Dale Kirkland, 31, who is a person of interest in the infant's death. He was taken into custody in Bridgeport a few hours later.

Kirkland was arrested on a warrant at the corner of East Main Street and Berkshire Avenue at 7:30 p.m.

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Police said Kirkland had been renting the room. They believe that he arrived at the motel with the infant on Tuesday evening and checked out on Wednesday morning, leaving the infant behind.

The Milford community is heartbroken and mourning the infant's death.

A worker at a nearby store - who did not want her face shown - says Kirkland had stopped in several times with the child.

"She was beautiful, head full of hair, always smiling, always full. She was great," the worker said.

"Periodically, we see the guy outside my car smoking. ... There's times when he [Kirkland] had a child and there were times he didn't have the child," said Eric Klobedanz, a guest at the motel who said his room was adjoining the room where the baby was found.

Klobedanz said for a while, there had been a lot of noise coming from the room.

"There were nights I couldn't sleep. It was here in the water, running nonstop, the banging on the walls and yelling, the child crying," he said.

Police had earlier asked the public to avoid the area near Woodmont Road and said there was no threat to the public.

Kirkland has been charged with risk of injury to a minor and cruelty to persons.

He was arraigned in Milford Court Thursday and he is due in court again on Aug. 28.

Police said additional charges are possible.