GLENDALE, AZ — Glendale police say a man and woman have been arrested on murder and child abuse charges after the death of a 2-year-old child on Tuesday.
Police were first called to a home in the area of 59th and Olive avenues around 10 a.m. where a man reported that his stepson was not breathing and had no pulse. Emergency responders unsuccessfully tried to save the boy's life, but he ultimately died at the hospital.
Medical staff noted numerous injuries to the child’s body in “varying stages of healing,” according to police documents. The injuries were consistent with child abuse, according to medical professionals.
The 20-year-old man and the mother of the child, a 20-year-old woman, both initially told officers that the child was attacked by a dog while on a walk, but no bite marks were found on the child’s body. Video obtained from the area also showed no evidence a dog attack ever occurred.
Police documents say there were multiple other inconsistencies in the couple’s story about what happened to the child.
Officers say the man, identified as the boyfriend of the child's mother, began to admit to physically disciplining the child, including an incident of physical abuse Tuesday morning.
He reportedly told officers he “should have called 911 sooner but didn’t” after realizing the child was seriously hurt.
Police say, while doing interviews with investigators, the man told the victim's mother “that he killed the victim” and told her to go to California where they both have extended family.
Police paperwork shows “neither suspect showed any obvious remorse for their actions.”
Both suspects were booked into jail on charges including first-degree murder and child abuse.
Police say the man and woman have two other children between them who were at the home at the time. A 2-week-old infant and another 2-year-old child have since been removed from the home by child safety officials.
Police say they are not aware of any previous incidents involving the family.
ABC15 spoke with Destiny Gilbert on Wednesday, who lived near the couple, she says she was shocked to find out what had happened.
Gilbert said she’d seen the family a few times since they moved in but did not know the extent of their family dynamic.
As a grandparent, to hear about the alleged abuse, she said it hurt.
“I don’t want to think about the horrors that child endured for the short time he was alive,” said Gilbert.
Other neighbors told ABC15 they didn’t hear much from the family or anything out of the ordinary.
“Somebody beat a baby and nobody heard nothing?” another neighbor questioned.
A Glendale police spokesperson stressed how "horrific" the situation was at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Officials say some of the first responders are seeking support after working on this investigation due to the nature of the crime.
