Ron and Kelly Johnson had been looking forward to this Christmas for months. It was their first with their 9-month-old son, Bailey, their bundle of joy and first-born child. The presents were wrapped. The cookies and milk were set out for Santa. Ron, a firefighter, had to work on Christmas Day, but Kelly would stop by the firehouse with Bailey in the morning so they could spend part of the day together.
The Johnsons, both in their mid-20s, had the ideal baby boy. He wasn’t fussy. He always wore a smile. He had picked up a curious black eye a couple of weeks before Christmas, his parents figuring he hit himself with one of his toys, but everything was perfect for this South Tahoe family.