A North Carolina man, 25, has been charged with murder over the death of his girlfriend's two-year-old son.
The toddler was rushed to the Carolinas Medical Center at around 7pm on Wednesday.
Medical staff said the youngster had been beaten so badly that he was unable to breathe on his own.
Christopher Sims, 25, was arrested and was initially facing felony child abuse and inflicting serious injury charges over the brutal attack. More