Parents charged with murder after their son, 3, was discovered dead in his crib

A Kansas couple has been charged with murder after their three-year-old son was found dead in his crib at their mobile home - with police saying the body had been there for days.

A baby was also found in critical condition at the same home.

The parents of Zaiden Javonovich made their first court appearances via video conference from jail on Tuesday. His 22-year-old mother, Brandi Kai Marchant, and 28-year-old father, Patrick Javonovich, both face five charges.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that state child welfare authorities had received abuse reports about the parents prior to the tragic discovery, but police officers hadn't received such reports.

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Kansas parents Brandi Kai Marchant, 22 (left), and Patrick Javonovich, 28 (right), have been charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child

The couple are accused of beating and torturing to death their three-year-old son, Zaiden, whose body was found in his crib by police last week 

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The charges against Marchant and Javonovich include first-degree murder with underlying felonies of neglect and abuse, two counts of abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child. 

During her court appearance, Merchant appeared distraught and covered her face with her hands as the charges were read aloud to her. Her boyfriend appeared confused when the judge told him that he was being charged with five criminal counts. Their bonds were set at $200,000 each. 

Police last week responding to a domestic disturbance between the parents saw Javonovich and Marchant walking outside their home at Riverside Mobile Home Park in Wichita before checking on the children inside where they found the older boy's body.  

Zaiden was wrapped in a blanket in a crib. Capt. Brent Allred said the toddler suffered 'obvious injuries,' but he didn't elaborate, as The Wichita Eagle reported. 

According to court documents filed on Tuesday, Marchant and Javonovich 'unlawfully and knowingly torture(d) or cruelly beat' Zaiden and their infant son. 

An autopsy will be performed on Zaiden to determine his exact cause of death.  

Police responding to a domestic disturbance at Javonovich and Marchant's trailer home in Wichita found Zaiden dead and his baby brother injured 

The pair made their initial court appearance via video conference from jail on Tuesday 

Officers also found an injured four-month-old boy, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Allred said the baby is improving.

'It's shocking to see adults treat their kids in the way these two were treated,' Allred said. 'It's, I say, pathetic, because that's what it is.'

Allred provided no details on the Kansas Department for Children and Families' involvement with the family.

The agency told KSN it would not release information on Zaiden's case pending the conclusion of its independent investigation.   

Javonovich's mother, Donna Lloyd, has jumped to her son's defense in news interviews and on social media

Javonovich's mother, Donna Lloyd, has forcefully come to her son's defense in news interviews and on social media. 

Speaking to the station KAKE, a weeping Lloyd said her son would often come to her to get away from Marchant 'fighting and hitting and threatening to hurt Zaiden.' 

Lloyd insisted that her son loved Zaiden and would have never harmed him. 

The deceased toddler's grandmother also lashed out at her family's critics on Facebook Tuesday, arguing that they have no right to judge her son.

'My son did not kill his baby I choose to let his day in court to deside [sic] what truly happened,' Lloyd stated. 'The Autopsy will prove my grandson was not dead for days. '

The home, where the family had lived for a couple months, had food and no signs of drug use, police said. Allred said Marchant has two other children but doesn't have custody of them. Javonovich has one other child who sometimes visits on weekends.

The Wichita area has seen several child abuse homicides. The victims include three-year-old Evan Brewer, whose body was found encased in concrete, and five-year-old Lucas Hernandez, whose body was found under a rural bridge months after he went missing.

The agency had extensive involvement with both children before their deaths. While campaigning last year, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly repeatedly described problems in the child welfare system as among the most pressing the state faces. Lawmakers now are considering increasing funding to add more child welfare workers. 

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