A Mineral Springs man was indicted by the Davidson County Grand Jury on Monday for the murder of a 21-month-old baby girl.

According to a press release from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Travis Christopher Lemmond, 20, of 2220 Billy Howey Road, Cabin 17, in Mineral Springs, is facing one count of first degree murder and one count of felony child abuse inflicting bodily injury after the Davidson County Grand Jury returned two true bills of indictment on Monday for the death of 21-month-old Lilly Grace Cowell. Detectives, with assistance from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Lemmond at his residence on Monday and transported him back to Davidson County for processing. Lemmond was placed in Davidson County Jail and issued no bond.

“We have been actively investigating the case and when the autopsy results came back we contacted the district attorney,” Sheriff David Grice said. “It was then presented to the grand jury, who issued true bills of indictments. The grand jury is 16 people who review felony cases before they go to trail. They will determine if there is a true bill or no bill of indictment. Typically, if a person is charged with a felony, we’ll obtain a warrant, arrest them, and they’ll have a probable cause hearing. We can go straight to the grand jury, as the district attorney did in this case.

The indictments follow a nearly three-month long investigation, dating back to Nov. 20, 2009, when deputies responded to a report of a 21-month-old child pronounced dead at Lexington Memorial Hospital. Detectives began investigating the child’s death, conducting interviews with family members and collecting necessary evidence. The child’s body was sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill.

According to the indictment obtained from the Davidson County Clerk of Courts Office, Lemmond “unlawfully and willfully and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder Lilly Grace Crowell.” The victim sustained blunt force injuries to her head resulting in “acute subdural hemorrhage, acute subarachnoid hemorrhage and multiple retinal hemorrhages of the optic nerve.” The indictment states that Lemmond was providing care for the child as the boyfriend of the natural mother. The incident happened at 172 Meadow Creek Drive, Apartment 19, in Lexington.

Lemmond is scheduled to appear in Davidson County Superior Court on March 8.

Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com.