Mom's boyfriend charged in Raleigh toddler's death

Charges against a Raleigh man accused of injuring a toddler who later died from his injuries were upgraded Saturday to murder.

Authorities said 22-month-old Torrance Adams stopped breathing on Feb. 14 and was taken to WakeMed. Physicians discovered the child had sustained a skull fracture while in the care of Michael Buchanan.

Buchanan, 23, of 8931 Wadford Lane, was dating the Torrance's mother, police said.

Neighbors said they have been concerned for a while about the three children in the apartment.

"I kept saying and telling them something was going on, but I didn't know what it was," neighbor Shelley Jackson said. "I'm just shocked. I just can't believe it."

Jackson said she often heard screaming coming from the apartment.

"I went to the front office and told them something was going on, and they said, 'Well, Ms. Shelley, we'll look into it,'" she said.

"You don't know if they are playing and screaming," neighbor Karen Zavala said.

"You don't know what's going on in the next house," agreed neighbor Yosa Tapia. "You can't tell what's going on in any other house."

Buchanan was initially charged with intentional child abuse causing serious bodily injury, according to a warrant.

He also was charged in November with second-degree assault in Maryland, according to court records. It's unclear who the victim of that crime was.

Buchanan remains in the Wake County jail without bond and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.