Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Dad faces charges after 2-month-old daughter dies while in his care (Pleasant Grove, Texas)

Yes another dad who couldn't deal with a crying infant in his care, so she ends up dying from a fractured skull and severe brain injuries. This time the dad charged is ALEXIS CERVANTES.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/DN-childabuse_06met.ART.State.Edition1.333b0da.html

Pleasant Grove man faces charges in infant daughter's death

08:10 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 6, 2010
By SCOTT GOLDSTEIN / The Dallas Morning News
sgoldstein@dallasnews.com

A 24-year-old father is facing criminal charges after authorities say his baby daughter died of severe injuries suffered while in his care.

Alexis Cervantes is being held at the Dallas County Jail on a felony charge of injury to a child with serious bodily injury. Bail was set at $100,000.

Two-month-old Greidys Cervantes died shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday at Children's Medical Center Dallas, according to the Dallas County medical examiner. Her autopsy had not yet been completed Tuesday night.

Greidys suffered a bilateral skull fracture, serious brain injuries and a shoulder corner fracture, a pediatrician who specializes in child abuse told Dallas police.

The baby was unresponsive and suffering from severe head trauma when she was brought by ambulance to the hospital about 10 p.m. Sunday, the documents said.

The baby's mother told police that she spent most of that day with her daughter and that she seemed fine and was eating normally. She said she saw Cervantes place the baby on a bed and left the room.

Cervantes told police his daughter began crying, so he held her "in his arms and forcefully rocked her back and forth, causing [the baby's] head to swing back and forth multiple times," police documents said.

He told police that she stopped crying and he placed her back on the bed. The mother walked into the room a few minutes later and noticed the baby appeared to be choking, they told police.

Cervantes told police that her "legs and arms were stiff and her eyes were looking back" and that he struck his daughter several times on the back and administered CPR, police said. They waited 10 minutes before calling police, Cervantes said.

It is unclear when and how the baby suffered the injuries. The case remains under investigation, police said.

The couple lives in the 8800 block of Milverton Drive near Bruton and Prairie Creek roads in Pleasant Grove. However, it was unclear from police reports where the incident occurred.

Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said the baby was the couple's only child and the agency has not had prior contact with the family.

Cervantes has previous felony convictions for drug possession and failure to stop and respond to a police command, records show.