KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI) — A 13-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the death of his 12-year-old brother after a Knoxville Police Department investigation determined the victim suffered fatal injuries during an assault over the weekend.
According to KPD, officers responded just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, August 18, to a home in the 1500 block of Cecil Avenue to investigate the death of a 12-year-old boy.
At the time, the cause of death was not immediately apparent. The child was transported to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for an autopsy and further examination.
Investigators later learned the boy died from internal injuries caused by blunt force trauma, according to preliminary autopsy findings.
Following what police described as a continued and extensive investigation by the department’s Homicide Unit, detectives determined that the victim had allegedly been assaulted by his 13-year-old brother sometime over the weekend.
The juvenile suspect, whose identity is not being released because of his age, was taken into custody Thursday night on a juvenile petition for voluntary manslaughter.
Police have not released additional details about the circumstances that led to the alleged assault.
The investigation remains ongoing.
