PELION, SC — A Pelion man has been charged with the death of his 2-month-old daughter.

Lexington County deputies charged Jordan Ray Hodson, 33, with homicide by child abuse after Makenna Hodson died at a Columbia hospital about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Hodson and his 32-year-old wife, Elizabeth Hodson, were each also charged with unlawful conduct toward a child.

The parents took the unresponsive child to Pelion Family Practice before she died, deputies said. From there, Makenna was taken to Lexington Medical Center and then to Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An examination at the hospital revealed that the child might have been the victim of blunt force trauma to her head and body, Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said.

The parents were both arrested at Lexington Medical Center after they gave investigators explanations for the child’s injuries that weren’t consistent with the findings of the hospital’s medical staff.

An autopsy performed by the Lexington County Coroner’s Office determined that Makenna died from gastric perforation and complications caused by that injury. Gastric perforation is the leakage of acidic fluids housed inside the stomach. What caused the gastric perforation isn’t yet known, Murrah said.

The sheriff’s department hadn’t determined Wednesday what lead to Makenna’s death, Metts said. But, he said, Elizabeth Hodson’s neighbors told investigators that Elizabeth Hodson had made comments periodically about not wanting the newborn.

She was estranged from her husband, but Jordan Hudson was at the home Tuesday evening.

“We’re in what ought to be a thankful season,” Metts said. “This is a horrific, shocking situation.”

Elizabeth Hodson was being held Wednesday at the Lexington County Detention Center on a $50,000 surety bond, which must be paid in full for her release. Jordan Hodson also was being held at the jail but must appear before a circuit judge to have his bond set.

The couple has three older children who were removed from the home and placed in emergency protective custody, Metts said.