Three-month-old baby dies after being on life support; felon dad in custody (Santa Ana, California)

Notice that the mother, who is not being charged, would have been about 13 when she got pregnant. Why isn't Daddy being charged with statutory rape?

Dad is identified as JORDAN MENDEZ.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/boy-672661-old-mendez.html

Three-month-old boy dies after being on life support; 20-year-old dad in custody

July 20, 2015 |Updated July 21, 2015 8:10 a.m.

BY ALMA FAUSTO / STAFF WRITER

SANTA ANA – A 3-month-old boy, whose father had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting the child, died Monday afternoon after being on life support through the weekend, officials confirmed.

The baby was found unresponsive Friday night by authorities after they were called to a home in the 800 block of West Stevens.

The boy’s father, 20-year-old Jordan Mendez, was arrested.

Authorities took the baby to Children’s Hospital of Orange County where he was placed on life support after he was found not breathing. Doctors there observed signs the boy had suffered physical trauma, Santa Ana police said after the incident.

Detectives are investigating the case as a homicide. Authorities said an autopsy would likely happen Tuesday.

Mendez, 20, has a past criminal history and has pleaded guilty to multiple non-violent felonies in the last two years.

He pleaded guilty in 2013 of being in possession of a controlled substance and concentrated cannabis. Another 2013 charge showed he was convicted of receiving stolen property.

Mendez also has a warrant out for his arrest for using someone else’s credit or debit card and personal information in 2014.

According to inmate records, Mendez is an electrician. He was booked on charges of assault on a child resulting in great bodily injury or death. He is being held in lieu of $1,020,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

As for the boy’s mother, she is 14 and not currently a suspect, according to Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.

The 14-year-old girl has been identified by family members, but the Register is withholding her name because she is a minor.

On her Facebook profile, she displays photos of her with suspect Mendez and the baby boy.

She posted frequently about the boy, Tristin Mendez. Many of her posts showed her reaching milestones as a young mother.