A 22-year-old man from New Hampshire, identified as Annthoni Bliss, has been indicted on charges of second-degree murder related to the death of his girlfriend’s toddler son in January 2024. The charges were confirmed by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and are linked to an incident where Bliss was alone with the 23-month-old boy, Luca Hudson, while the child’s mother was away.
On the morning of January 14, 2024, emergency services were summoned to an apartment following a distress call about a young child. Upon their arrival, they found Luca unconscious and not breathing. Despite immediate medical attention and being rushed to the hospital, the toddler succumbed to his injuries three days later, just shy of his second birthday.
The charges against Bliss are the culmination of an investigation that spanned over a year. Bliss had started dating Luca’s mother about a month prior to the incident, although they had been acquainted for several years. The medical examiner’s report concluded that Luca’s death was due to blunt force trauma to the head and was classified as a homicide.
Both Bliss and Luca’s mother have refuted any involvement in the child’s death. At the time of the incident, Bliss was cohabiting with his girlfriend, Luca, and Luca’s older brother. Investigators found no signs of any injuries on Luca in the days preceding his death.
Investigators theorize that the abuse occurred the night before the emergency call was placed, while Luca’s mother was away on a nearly hour-long grocery shopping trip. Surveillance footage and interviews have been instrumental in reconstructing the sequence of events. Text messages exchanged between Bliss and Luca’s mother during her shopping trip did not hint at any problems at home.
In December, Bliss informed investigators that he had been on the phone with his sister while Luca’s mother was out, but no evidence was found to corroborate this claim. A neighbor reported hearing Luca crying for up to an hour around the time his mother was out shopping.
Upon her return from the store, Luca’s mother and Bliss spent time in their bedroom, with Bliss not mentioning any injury to Luca. Later, Bliss found Luca vomiting and, after a shower, the boy complained of a headache. Despite this, no call to emergency services was made until several hours later.
Medical examinations revealed that, while Luca showed few external signs of injury, he had suffered significant internal bleeding on his brain and hemorrhaging in both eyes. His brain swelling ultimately led to his death. The medical examiner’s report stated that there was no alternative accidental explanation for Luca’s injuries and that the timing of the injuries coincided with the period when Bliss was alone with Luca.
Bliss was apprehended on the evening of Wednesday and is currently detained at the Cheshire County Jail. His next court appearance is slated for April 3.