MAYS LANDING, NJ - On Monday, July 27, 2026, Imodd Brown Dillihay, 29, from Atlantic City,
NJ, was charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter for the death of his one-year-old
daughter.
On February 2, 2026, officers responded to an apartment in Atlantic City after receiving a 911
call regarding an unresponsive child. The child was rushed to the hospital but ultimately
succumbed to her injuries. The child suffered profound injuries determined to be the result of
blunt force trauma to her head and neck. An autopsy documented a contusion on the child’s
forehead and abrasions on both sides of her neck. Bilateral retinal hemorrhages were present.
The child had absent brainstem reflexes, consistent with brain death. The report concluded that
the child suffered from multiple blunt force injuries over several planes of her body. The
abrasions on the neck and underlying cervical spinal injury are consistent with inflicted injury to
the neck and exceed what would be expected from resuscitation/intubation efforts. She also
suffered from substantial subdural hemorrhages, brain edema and multidirectional herniation,
spinal hemorrhaging, hemorrhagic injury of the cervical spinal cord and cervical thoracic cord.
The medical examiner ultimately ruled the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and
neck. The manner of death was ruled as a homicide.
It is alleged, based on the evidence obtained, that the defendant was the sole caretaker at the
time of these injuries.
The incident was investigated by the Atlantic City Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit and
the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victim’s Unit. The Prosecutor’s Office has filed
a motion for pre-trial detention, which is tentatively scheduled for next week. The investigation
remains open.
*** These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a
charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ***
Anyone with information regarding serious crimes is asked to contact the Atlantic County
Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Website at ACPO.Tips and
provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.
