Woman charged in killing of 3-year-old boy was foster mother; case moved to June

MELANIE NGUYEN, The Bakersfield Californian
·2 min read

A report from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the woman charged in the killing of a 3-year-old boy in February was the foster mother of the boy and his biological sister.

Margaret Eichhorst, 32, is charged with first-degree murder and assault of a child under the age of 8 years old resulting in death. She has pleaded not guilty.

On Feb. 9, Alejandro Perez Jr., 3, was found dead in a home in the 500 block of El Tejon Avenue with injuries consistent with child abuse, according to a news release from KCSO at the time of the death.

A report submitted by KCSO to Kern County Superior Court and received by The Californian on Thursday states Perez had bruising on his forehead, back, arms, elbows, buttocks, the bottom of his right foot, hip and ears, as well as a cut inside his mouth. Perez also had internal bleeding in his head, bladder and chest due to a small tear in his heart.

According to the report, Eichhorst had been Perez’s foster mother since September 2023. Perez and his infant sister were placed with Eichhorst, who also has a biological daughter and another foster child. It is unclear where her children have been staying since the start of the case.

Eichhorst told KCSO deputies that she believed that Perez fell out of his bed and died. She told deputies it was common for him to fall out of his bed and she would usually pick him back up and place him in bed. When she went to pick up Perez on Feb. 9, she said, his body was cold and stiff so she attempted CPR, according to the report.

According to the report, Eichhorst told deputies that she did not physically punish the children and would usually put them in “time out” facing the wall. She told deputies Perez threw tantrums and misbehaved sometimes — hiding items in the house from his family members.

Eichhorst also told deputies about her military background but would not disclose her medical history to deputies, according to the report.

Eichhorst appeared in court for her pre-preliminary hearing Thursday with her defense attorney, Clayton Campbell. She is expected back in court on June 20 for her preliminary hearing and is being held in KCSO custody with no bail.