WADDELL, AZ — The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed to ABC15 that a three-month-old child died Monday after more than a week in a hospital. The child’s father was arrested earlier this month on child abuse charges.
Court paperwork states on January 5, MCSO deputies responded to a home near Citrus Road and Olive Avenue in Waddell where they found the three-month-old child unresponsive. The parents allegedly told investigators the child was suffering from constipation, but the child was taken to Phoenix Children’s hospital in Avondale with life-threatening injuries.
The child was then flown to Phoenix Children’s in Phoenix where a social worker allegedly told investigators there were “non-accidental” injuries the child had, per court paperwork. Prosecutors described the injuries as catastrophic and said the child was in the hospital on life support. Court paperwork describes gruesome injuries including internal decapitation, skull fractures and bilateral subdural hematoma.
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Court paperwork said the father initially told investigators the injuries were caused by a slip on the stairs and the child falling out of bed. The paperwork states the 24-year-old father later admitted to getting frustrated with the baby and “losing control”
On Tuesday, MCSO told ABC15 the child died in the hospital on Monday afternoon.
The father was held on a $350,000 cash bond on the initial child abuse charges. MCSO tells ABC15 they are investigating to determine if additional charges may be filed.
