Calif. Boy, 4, Died Under Suspicious Circumstances — and His Parents Have Been Arrested
Authorities have arrested the parents of a 4-year-old California boy whose recent death has been described by investigators as “suspicious.”
According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, both Jose Cuatro, 27, and Ursula Juarez, 25, of Palmdale, were taken into custody Thursday morning, on suspicion of murdering their son, Noah Cuatro.
The arrest comes days after medical examiners determined Noah’s death was a homicide.
“This investigation was initiated after Palmdale Station deputies received a call for service on July 5, 2019, that a four-year-old boy (Victim Noah Cuatro) was transported to Palmdale Regional Medical Center following a possible drowning,” the statement reads.
“According to the parents, the child was discovered motionless in the community pool” in Palmdale.
The statement adds that hospital medical staff “observed evidence of injuries to Victim Noah Cuatro’s body” that were “suspicious in nature and consistent with possible abuse.”
Noah died at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles on July 6.
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The statement notes that the investigation is ongoing, making no mention of a possible motive.
Noah had been in the care of his great-grandmother before being returned to his parents last year.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Noah was placed in foster care in 2014 before being turned over to his great-grandmother.
In 2015, he was returned to his parents, who lost him again in 2016.
The court returned Noah to his parents in 2018. But in May, the Times reports the Department of Children and Family Services launched a probe into a tip suggesting Noah had been sexually abused.
It was unclear Friday if Cuatro and Juarez, who remain in custody without bond, had appeared in court to enter pleas, or whether they had lawyers who could comment on the charges in their absence.
