An Ashland man who repeatedly changed his stories about how a 13-month-old baby died in his care faces third-degree murder and other charges.

Joseph John Brennan II, 29, of 5 W. Centre St., also faces charges of aggravated assault, involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and making false reports to police.He is in Schuylkill County prison without bail.State police at Frackville charged Brennan on May 20. Trooper Edward Lizewski learned of the baby's death on Dec. 28, 2014, the day after she died.According to an affidavit of probable cause filed with District Judge Christina M. Hale of Frackville, here's how the case unfolded:Brennan said he put the baby down for an afternoon nap in her crib. At about 4:15-4:30 p.m., he heard the baby begin to cry. He ran up the stairs and positioned himself where he couldn't be seen by the baby or by a 5-year-old boy in the house.Brennan told police he watched as the boy stood by the crib and hit the baby in the head with a plastic toy giraffe, leaving the baby with a "goonie" on the left side of her forehead.He brought the baby and two other children downstairs, where she stopped crying and appeared to be her normal self, he told police.Brennan said he gave the children supper, and later on put them to bed.The baby's mother came home from work between 8:15 and 8:20 p.m. Brennan told her what happened, and said the baby was OK.About 10 p.m., Brennan and the baby's mother went to bed.Brennan had to use the bathroom, and as he passed by, he noticed the baby was uncovered. He pulled the cover over her when he was on his way back from the bathroom, and said he noticed she felt cold. he went into the bedroom and told her mother. He went back into the baby's bedroom and touched her, but she didn't move.He picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom, where he started CPR and the mother called 911.Borough police were the first law enforcement authorities to talk with the parents.Brennan told them the baby had fallen off the couch and had a seizure, but was OK.State police interviewed Brennan at the barracks on Dec. 29. he said he put all three children down for naps at about 1 p.m., giving the baby a bottle to drink in her crib.He said the children slept for about an hour, and the 5-year-old boy came downstairs to ask for a snack. Brennan gave him a granola bar and told him to go back up to his bedroom.He then began to warm up supper, and served the children at about 5 p.m..He sent a text message to the baby's mother at 5:45 p.m., but didn't tell her about the toy giraffe incident.Brennan denied ever having told Ashland police or emergency medical responders the baby had a seizure.But a review of the EMS records indicated that Brennan told them at about 7 p.m. that the baby had been hit in the head with a toy giraffe, and that she had suffered a seizure and that he had put her back to bed.He also told police he had taken the toy out of the 5-year-old's hand before carrying the baby downstairs, where he sat on the couch with her. She stopped crying, he said, but was whining.He returned the children to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. The baby's mother returned after 8 p.m., and they decided to go to bed about 10 p.m.Brennan noticed the baby was uncovered, and covered her. He went to the bedroom he and the mother shared, then back to the baby's bedroom, where he touched her and found she was cold. He picked her up and saw that her tongue was sticking out of her mouth. He carried her downstairs and started CPR.Brennan was interviewed again on Jan. 6 at the barracks.Asked about the toy, he told trooper Wesley LeVan about taking it from the 5 -year-old and lifting the baby from the crib.After the interview, Brennan was told he exhibited deceptive behavior.He then changed his story again, saying the baby hadn't fallen off the couch. Instead, he told the troopers, she had fallen from a kitchen counter when Brennan left the room to discipline the 5-year-old.He said he hadn't told police about that because he was scared.Brennan then told troopers he wanted an attorney, and the interview was ended.On Jan 8, Lizewski contacted the baby's mother, Kaylynn Kumangai, and told her he needed more information as questions had arisen during the interviews with Brennan.She called back at 12:30 p.m., saying she couldn't come in because Brennan was being taken to the hospital for an alleged overdose.Lizewski and trooper Mike Melinchak met Kumangai at Schuylkill Medical Center South, Pottsville. She said Brennan had not called or texted her on Dec. 27, nor did he tell her about the baby falling.She said she asked how the children had eaten, and he said "normal."Brennan did tell her he saw the 5-year-old hit the baby with the toy, but that the baby was OK.An autopsy performed by Dr. Barbara Bollinger at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, revealed the baby had suffered injuries to the front and side of her head, and multiple traumas to her upper and lower extremities, and bruising on her shoulder and back.Bruises on her face could have come from being slapped or grabbed.She also had bleeding between her skull and brain, and in her eyes.Her injuries were consistent with a back-and-forth motion, not from falling or from normal childhood accidents, or being hit in the head by a 5-year-old wielding a plastic giraffe.Bollinger concluded the death was homicide due to blunt-force injuries.