The 2-month-old girl found dead in her Brunswick home on Sunday had multiple injuries and showed signs consistent with chronic child abuse, according to Frederick County Circuit Court documents.

Lexi Regina Zirinsky had cuts, bruises, fractured ribs, and multiple bite marks all over her body in different stages of healing, according to the documents.

The girl's father, Jason August Zirinsky, 25, of Brunswick, is in jail without bond, and he is being charged with child abuse and first-degree murder. Zirinsky is facing life in prison without of parole for Lexi's murder, said Frederick County State's Attorney Charlie Smith.

The maximum penalty is death, but that can only be applied in cases when a murder is accompanied by aggravating circumstances, such as rape or sexual assault, Smith said.

Court records do not list an attorney for Zirinsky, and the Frederick County Public Defender's Office said Tuesday it is unsure if he will ask for counsel. A preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.

Brunswick police officers arrived at Zirinsky's home just after 7 a.m. Sunday following a 911 call about an unresponsive infant. When police and paramedics arrived, Lexi Regina Zirinsky had stopped breathing and her mother, Jessica Denise Peavy, was holding her.

Brunswick police officers noticed that Lexi had bruises on her face, arms and legs, as well as a bite mark on her left thigh, which led them to call investigators from the Frederick County Bureau of Investigations.

Investigators questioned Zirinsky about his daughter's injuries, and according to documents he told them of a few cases in which he thought he may have been " too rough" handling his daughter, especially when burping her.

Zirinsky also told police that Lexi had "strong neck muscles" and "likes to head butt" him in the face, as he tried to explain some of the bruises on the baby's forehead, court documents read.

Police also questioned Peavy, who told investigators she confronted Zirinsky about the bruises on Lexi when she first noticed them. In response, Zirinsky told her that he holds Lexi "too tight because she is squirmy," court documents read.

Zirinsky also explained a bite mark on Lexi's shoulder by saying that he was in the shower with her and she started to slip out of his hands, so the only thing he could do was to "grab her with his mouth," court documents read.

But the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which performed an autopsy on Monday, told police that Lexi's multiple injuries were consistent with ongoing child abuse, and could not have been caused by someone burping her, or even dropping her in the shower, court documents read.

Smith said Peavey is not facing any charges, but the investigation is continuing.

mraycheva@gazette.net