Toddler Dies After Being Punched by Mother’s Boyfriend, Police Report

Toddler Dies After Being Punched by Mother's Boyfriend, Police Report
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A thirty-year-old man in Pennsylvania is charged with killing a twenty-one-month-old child who was under his care. The man allegedly became irate when his girlfriend’s child cried and punched the boy in the stomach until he passed away.

Authorities said that Enrique Lopez Gomez was brought into custody on Thursday and charged with several related felonies, including one allegation of third-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

“This Defendant brutally injured a toddler under his care, failed to get the child medical care, and caused his death. It’s difficult to fathom how someone could do this,” said in a statement on Thursday that it is hard to understand how someone could do this.

A news statement from the District Attorney’s Office states that on June 24, 2024, at 10:58 p.m., detectives from the Chester County Detectives responded to a 911 call concerning an unresponsive child at a home in Kennett Township, Pennsylvania, which is located about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.

When they arrived, the mother of the victim walked out of the house with the young child in a blanket and gave him to the emergency medical staff.

The victim did not have a pulse and “had white foam coming from his nose and mouth.” The boy had bruises on his body when the ambulance arrived, and the doctors informed the police right away.

The boy passed away on June 25 at 12:16 a.m. in a hospital. According to police, an autopsy revealed that the child’s cause of death was blunt force injuries to the abdomen, and that the manner of death was homicide.

“The joint investigation by the Chester County Detectives, Kennett Township Police Department, and Southern Chester County Police Department determined that the Defendant struck the child, causing the injuries that led to his death,” prosecutors stated.

Gomez was regarded as the toddler’s “unofficial” stepfather, and he had been dating the victim’s mother for roughly six months, according to a report from Philadelphia.

Read Also: Mother Charged After 8-Year-Old Dies in Hot Car in North Carolina

Authorities claimed in the criminal complaint that the boy’s mother had left her son with Gomez when she departed for work. According to reports, Gomez was attempting to change the boy’s diaper when he became enraged when he continued to cry. He hit the boy in the stomach and put him to sleep.

Upon returning home, the mother assumed the boy was ill and proceeded to take him to her sister’s residence. Prosecutors claimed that even though the boy’s condition had been getting worse for several hours, Gomez had not told anyone that he had hit the child.

“Mr. Gomez struck that child in the abdomen at least once, causing significant injuries to that child and did not get medical care for that child,” de Barrena-Sarobe stated. “It’s a straightforward fact scenario, and unfortunately, it’s just as disturbing as it is straightforward.”

De Barrena-Sarobe pointed out that there would have been a “much greater” possibility of the toddler’s survival if Gomez had told someone he had hit the boy. He added that there was no past history of abuse.

On a $10 million bond, Gomez is being detained in Chester County Prison.

Reference

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With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.