Mom's friend held in death

AUSTIN — An Austin man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 2-year-old boy.

Jason C. Hensley, 26, was arrested at 4:28 p.m. Friday, charged with the murder of Jacob M. Lord, Sgt. Jerry Goodin of the Indiana State Police said.

Earlier in the day detectives from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg presented evidence to Scott County Prosecutor Jason Mount seeking an arrest warrant for Hensley. An arrest warrant was issued out of Scott Circuit Court for the charges of murder and felony battery, a Class A felony.

Hensley was arrested at his residence without incident and taken to Scott County Jail at Scottsburg awaiting his first court appearance, Goodin said.

Hensley is an acquaintance of Lord’s mother, Goodin said.

In the early morning hours of Oct. 28, ISP detectives were contacted by the Scott County Department of Child Services in reference to a 2-year-old child, Lord, who was seriously injured. Lord was originally taken to the Scott Memorial Hospital in Scottsburg by his mother with life-threatening injuries. He was transferred to the Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky., where in the early evening hours of Oct. 28 he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy was performed on Lord the following afternoon and determined the preliminary cause of death as an inflicted closed head injury, state police reported Friday.