North Las Vegas uncle accused of killing toddler suffocated her for 30 seconds, police say
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The man accused of killing his two-year-old niece told police he held his hand over her face for approximately 30 seconds because she “wouldn’t stop crying,” according to documents obtained by 8 News Now.
Leo’oolo Tevaseu, 21, faces charges of open murder and child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm.
Shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, medical personnel with North Las Vegas Fire Department were called to the 3400 block of Mercury Street near the I-15 and east Cheyenne Avenue after reports of a toddler not breathing.
Officers with the North Las Vegas Police Department also responded to the scene. When medical and police arrived, they found a two-year-old girl who did not have a pulse and was not breathing laying on a dining table.
Medical personnel took the child to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Clark County Coroner’s Office later identified the child as Fofogafeta Maluia Fields.
Tevaseu, who was in the apartment, told police he was babysitting his sister’s children while she was at the DMV, according to the arrest report. Her other two children were in the home when police arrived.
He said that while he was babysitting, Fields “all of a sudden collapsed” and when he couldn’t get her to respond to him, Tevaseu called her mother who told him to put the child on the table and start CPR, the report stated.
Tevaseu told police he didn’t see Fields put anything in her mouth and he was unaware if she had any medical history.
The coroner arrived at the hospital to examine the child and observed injuries consistent with pressure being applied to the face by a hand or something that restricts breathing, the report stated.
Fields’ mother told police that the toddler did not have any medical problems and was overall a healthy kid. She explained that Tevaseu was her younger brother and was her primary source of child care while she works nights.
She said she left the home at around 6 a.m. to go to the DMV and told Tevaseu she was leaving. After stopping at the DMV, she was on her way to the store when Tevaseu called her and told her Fields had fallen, the report stated.
She also told police that Tevaseu “sometimes gets frustrated with the girls,” but did not explain how he did.
While police spoke to Tevaseu, he told them several different versions of what happened. First he said Fields was “sick, but not that sick,” and “swaying,” which caused her to fall, according to the report.
Police told him there were several injuries on Fields that were not consistent with her falling over.
Tevaseu then told several versions of the story where he “slapped” Fields in the leg, then in the face before hitting her with a pillow and she fell down unresponsive, the report stated.
Finally, Tevaseu said that he was carrying Fields and she wouldn’t stop crying, so he slapped her in the face before hitting her with a pillow. He said he then picked her up and held her like a baby while using his hand to cover her mouth for “about 30 seconds,” according to the report.
Tevaseu said Fields was “huffing and puffing” so he put her on the ground and she was not breathing. He tried giving her water and began CPR. After five to ten minutes, he called Fields’ mother.
Police arrested Tevaseu on charges of open murder and child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm. He is being held without bail in the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center.
His next court appearance is scheduled for June 4.
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