DENVER — Court documents obtained by Denver7 detail a pattern of alleged abuse inside a Denver home in the days leading up to the death of 2‑year‑old Valkyrie Erickson, whose mother and her boyfriend are now under arrest.
The girl's mother, 38-year-old Melissa Wayne, was arrested Tuesday evening and was being held for investigation of child abuse resulting in death. Meanwhile, Wayne's boyfriend, 38-year-old Nicolas Stout, was arrested Sunday evening on a murder charge, court documents say.
Two-year-old Valkyrie was found unresponsive early Sunday at a home in the 100 block of S. Vrain Street and pronounced dead at the scene.
While details about the cause of Valkyrie’s death have yet to be released, the court documents state that Stout blamed the child’s injuries on multiple falls. This contrasts with witness statements to police, alleging Stout was aggressive toward the child and that “smacking sounds” were often heard coming from the bedroom.
The documents state that Wayne and Stout told police Valkyrie fell while jumping on the bed on Saturday. Stout said he later left for cigarettes around midnight, returned to find her crying, and she went back to sleep. She was found unresponsive the next morning.
However, according to a probable cause statement, Wayne told police she had seen Stout hit the girl at least twice the night before her death. She said he yelled at the girl about toileting multiple times.
Police said in the documents that while on scene, officers spoke with a man who had been living at the home for about a week. He told them he “heard [Stout] frequently yelling at the child and slapping noises coming from the bedroom where Valkyrie stays with Melissa and Nicolas.”
During later interviews, the man said he heard the suspect "yelling and screaming" during the time that Stout had claimed he left to go get cigarettes.
"[The housemate] stated that between the hours of 11:00 p.m. - 01:00 a.m., on January 17, 2026, that he heard the yelling and screaming continue. [The housemate] heard Nicolas say something to the effect of "You f***ing bit me" and "I f***ing hate you." [The housemate] stated that it was a close proximity in time after those statements that "the baby" stopped crying and everything went quiet for the rest of the night," the affidavit said.
Other residents in the home characterized Nicolas as “short-fused,” “hot-headed,” “unpredictable,” and aggressive.
During police interviews, investigators told the suspect that officers observed bloody rags in a trash can in the home and a bloody handprint on a wall.
Stout claimed the blood evidence recovered from the scene was from a bloody lip the child sustained during Saturday’s fall. Similarly, Wayne told investigators the child had fallen from the bed while the family was watching a football game earlier in the day.
But police said the injuries to Valkyrie’s body were too significant to have been produced by a fall. They noted in court documents that there were bruises "in various stages of healing" and other injuries to her head and body.
Stout denied that he had abused the child and maintained that the injuries were from accidental falls, describing the child as a "daredevil."
"Nicolas described Valkyrie as a "dare devil" and stated that she liked to jump around on the bed. During the time that they were trying to sleep on Friday night, Valkyrie started to jump over Melissa, then over Nicolas and was about to jump off of the bed. Nicolas said that he put his arm over to catch Valkyrie and stop her from jumping off of the bed. In the process of grabbing her, she hit her head on the night stand/coffee table that was next to his bed," the affidavit said.
Stout is facing charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. The suspect was denied bond during his first court appearance on Tuesday morning. Wayne made her first court appearance for an advisement hearing on Wednesday.
According to criminal records pulled by Denver7, Stout previously pleaded guilty in Denver County Court to kidnapping in 2005 and received five years of intensive probation. Seven years later, Stout pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer in Denver after charges of burglary, arson, and weapons possession by a prior offender were dismissed.
- Resources are available to support children who are victims of abuse and neglect, through organizations like Colorado CASA or the Colorado Children's Alliance. However, Denver7 has highlighted a volunteer shortage at CASA chapters in our state. Learn more about how you can help here.
- If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through Violence Free Colorado or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
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