Trial to open in Naperville baby's death

Four years ago, Laura Gonzalez returned to her Naperville home from work to find her 7-month-old daughter unresponsive in her crib.

Despite a desperate effort to save Ariana, the 14-pound baby died of a lacerated liver at Edward Hospital.

The long-awaited trial into her Sept. 4, 2004, death opens Tuesday morning in DuPage County.

Her father, Locksley O. Creary, 30, is facing first-degree murder charges.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Creary was baby-sitting Ariana alone on the city's far northwest side after picking her up at 7 p.m. from her maternal grandparents' house in Oswego. His girlfriend, Gonzalez, the baby's mother, returned home to the 700 block of Inland Circle about 9:45 p.m.

Gonzalez later told police she found Ariana unresponsive and not breathing in her crib. The panicked mother called 911 while Creary attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Creary repeatedly has denied inflicting the fatal injuries on his daughter. Police questioned his truthfulness, but they needed medical science to prove their suspicions.

More than two years later, on Feb. 22, 2007, police arrested Creary after relying on as evidence the medical opinions of two experts from Cook County and Dade County, Fla.

But not everyone agrees Ariana died of foul play. The pathologist who performed the autopsy has said she doesn't believe there is enough medical evidence to support the claim.

Dr. Shaku Teas determined evidence was inconclusive on whether the baby's liver injuries were the result of the father's botched CPR efforts or something else. Teas has said publicly an expert from Suffolk County, N.Y., who she consulted, agrees with her.

Creary, who moved to Bolingbrook after his daughter's death, was set free May 10, 2007, after posting $50,000 cash as bail.

His trial before DuPage Circuit Judge George Bakalis opens Tuesday morning. Creary has opted to have Judge Bakalis rather than a jury decide his fate.