Beatrice man charged in death of four-month-old baby and sexual assault of teenager pleads not guilty

On November 14, 2024By Pranco

BEATRICE, Neb. (KOLN) – The Beatrice man attacked in the death of a 4-month-old baby and the sexual assault of a 15-year-old has pleaded not guilty.

Austin Meyn, 27, entered pleas in both cases late last month. He is currently facing charges of child molestation resulting in death, first-degree sexual assault of a child and child molestation charges.

Meyn was arrested along with his 28-year-old girlfriend Ashlen Zitel after authorities were called to a home in Beatrice on August 15 on a report of a four-month-old child who was not breathing.

The police discovered that Zitel was at work and that Meyn was looking after her two children. She received a call from him around noon that her baby was unresponsive.

According to the arrest affidavit, when Zitel arrived home, she saw her baby lying on his back on the bed. She said she started CPR and called 911.

The baby was transported to Beatrice Community Hospital and pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The autopsy revealed that the baby suffered non-accidental trauma, including bleeding in more than one place on the head and broken ribs, court records show. Police said the autopsy findings were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

A search warrant revealed text messages between Zitel and Meyn during the morning of the incident that showed Meyn was frustrated with the baby’s crying, so he deliberately placed him semi-swaddled and face down in bed to reduce his breathing ability.

As for the cases of sexual abusethe arrest affidavits for both Meyn and Zitel have been sealed. According to the complaints, the couple sexually assaulted the teen sometime between March 1 and August 15. Both have been charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Meyn’s next court appearance for a bond review is scheduled for Nov. 21. Zitel will appear in court again on Monday.

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