A California man has been arrested over the death of his two-month-old daughter after she “sustained serious injuries which pointed to severe child abuse”.
The incident took place in the city of Turlock in Stanislaus County in the US state of California on the afternoon of 13th April.
Joseph Anthony Rendon, 23, is accused of killing his baby daughter after an autopsy revealed the infant had suffered horrific abuse.
The Turlock Police Department (TPD) said in a statement on 15th April: “On April 13, 2022, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Turlock Police Department Officers responded to Emmanuel Medical Center regarding a call of an infant death after hospital staff reported suspected child abuse. Detectives responded and took over the investigation.
“During the initial interviews of hospital staff, Detectives learned that Turlock resident, Joseph Anthony Rendon, 23 years-old, brought his two month-old daughter to the hospital after she unexplainably stopped breathing at his Turlock home.
“Although lifesaving measures were performed at the hospital, the infant was not able to be revived and was pronounced deceased.”
The police stated: “Initially hospital staff and investigators could not explain the child’s death. On April 14, 2022, Turlock Police Detectives attended the autopsy of the infant at the Stanislaus HiCounty Coroner’s Office.”
The autopsy revealed that the child had “sustained serious injuries which pointed to severe child abuse”.
TPD said: “Within hours, Detectives authored and served search warrants for Rendon’s residence and vehicle. Rendon voluntarily came into the Turlock Police Department for a follow- up interview.
“After the interview, Rendon was arrested and booked at the Stanislaus County Jail on murder and child abuse charges.”
Police chief Jason Hedden said: “This is devastating and difficult to understand why this happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with the child’s family during this difficult time. These cases have an emotional impact on our officers and everyone involved in these types of investigations.
“We can only pray that the arrest of Joseph Rendon brings some sense of healing to the family and community.”
TPD, an active participant in the Crime Stoppers Program, has called on members of the public to come forwards with any information, adding that citizens may be eligible for a cash reward.
