A 22-year-old father from Raleigh, North Carolina, was taken into custody last week, charged with the fatal assault of his three-week-old son in a hospital where the baby’s twin sister was being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Noah Benjamin Bliss was arrested on Friday, facing allegations of first-degree murder and intentional child abuse resulting in severe physical harm, as per court records. The victim, Gunner Bliss, was the son of the accused. The arrest warrants suggest that the purported crime took place on October 6, with the child abuse charge specifically highlighting severe physical harm, brain swelling, and bleeding inflicted on the infant.
While the authorities have remained tight-lipped about the details surrounding Gunner’s death, the infant’s mother, Savannah Bliss, opened up about the heartbreaking incident in an interview with a local NBC affiliate. She voiced her hope for justice for her son and expressed her shock and sorrow over the sudden loss.
Savannah Bliss recounted that the incident happened while she and her husband were at WakeMed Hospital, where their twins were born prematurely on September 15, 2023. The couple had been residing on a hotel-like floor of the hospital designed for family members of patients. Savannah Bliss had left Gunner with his father while she visited their daughter in the NICU when the alleged abuse took place.
Upon Savannah’s return, Gunner had experienced severe oxygen deprivation and had swelling and bleeding in his brain due to trauma. The infant had no visible external injuries or broken bones, suggesting the injuries were likely caused by violent shaking.
Savannah Bliss expressed her disbelief at the incident, stating that she saw no signs of her husband being violent with their children. Noah Bliss is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court again next month.