MIDDLETOWN — Authorities are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy, saying they don't buy a baby sitter's description of the child falling out of a bed.

        The Hamilton County Coroner's Office on Wednesday conducted an autopsy on Christopher Long. The boy, who turned 2 on Jan. 28, was pronounced dead Tuesday night at Children's Hospital Medical Center after a daylong hospitalization.

        A medical helicopter had taken the child to the hospital Monday afternoon after he was found unresponsive at his home in the 1000 block of Park Lane.

        Three other children — a 4-year-old girl and two boys, 4 and 6 — were removed from the home and placed with an aunt while the investigation into Christopher's death continues, said Bob Walker, spokesman for the Butler County Children Services Board.

        Christopher is the first Butler County child to die under suspicious circumstances this year, Mr. Walker said.

        Jim Steigert, a spokesman for the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, said his office was not releasing a preliminary cause of death or providing other information regarding Christopher's injuries.

        Middletown Police Maj. Mike Bruck said a friend of the child's mother had been watching the boy and told police that Christopher had fallen from bed. But the seriousness of the child's injuries are inconsistent with that explanation, Maj. Bruck said.

        Mr. Walker said a caseworker had visited the house shortly before the incident, and “there was no (reported) indication of abuse.”

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