FORT WORTH, Texas (Fox 4 Dallas) A former Midway athlete now living in Fort Worth is facing capital murder charges in connection with the death of his daughter.
Fox 4 in Dallas reports a fugitive task force arrested Rakeem Dory, 25, in Waco after getting a tip about his whereabouts.
He was booked into the Tarrant County jail Wednesday afternoon.
His bond is set at $500,000, according to online records.
Records show Dory played football and other sports while attending Midway High School during the 2011-2012 school year.
Dory’s daughter, 4-year-old Zianne Essix, died in February, but a medical examiner just ruled her death a homicide last week.
According to police documents, Dory called 911 on Feb. 17 because Zianne wasn’t breathing and her lips were blue.
In a police report, Dory claimed the child had fallen off a plastic slide in her playroom the previous day.
He said she appeared fine, but he put an ice pack on her head throughout the day.
Dory did admit giving Zianne “six licks” as punishment for not helping to clean up later that day.
He also said he got angry because she soiled herself several times while standing in the playroom for punishment.
Doctors at Cook Children’s Medical Center found brain swelling and significant bruising all over the little girl’s body that they said was not consistent with Dory’s story of a fall.
Investigators also found evidence of blood in the family’s playroom and they recovered recorded phone conversations between Dory and his step-parents that are now considered evidence in the capital murder case, police documents say.
Police said Zianne was living with Dory because her biological mother was already in prison for child neglect.
Dory’s wife was not at home at the time of the alleged abuse.
Another 2-year-old child in the home was not hurt.