A Maryland couple has been arrested following the death of their 2-month-old daughter, who suffered severe head injuries. According to charging documents and prosecutors, the father allegedly told investigators that “Satan slamming a door on the child” caused the injuries.
Oscar Pineda and Katerin Monzon-Alvarado, both 21, face charges of first- and second-degree child abuse, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the death of their daughter, Aida Mikea Monzon Alvarado, Baltimore police said. The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 55 years in prison. Police said additional homicide charges could be filed after the medical examiner completes the autopsy.
The infant was brought to Harbor Hospital on Wednesday with what doctors called “suspicious” bruising around her eyes and along her jaw. A subsequent examination found “significant head and brain trauma” as well as “multiple skull fractures,” injuries that were not detected during the initial evaluation, according to charging documents cited by CBS Baltimore.
Oscar Pineda and Katerin Monzon-Alvarado, both 21, have been charged with first- and second-degree child abuse, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. (Baltimore Police)
The father allegedly told police that the baby’s injuries were caused “due to a supernatural force or Satan slamming a door on the child.” During a court hearing Friday, a prosecutor said the mother claimed her 2-year-old son frequently jumped on the bed, causing the infant to fall onto the floor, according to the outlet.
The prosecutor said the severity and number of the baby’s injuries were inconsistent with a single fall from a bed.
Police said the mother took the infant to the hospital Wednesday after the baby became unresponsive. She initially told investigators that the child stopped responding while lying face down on the couple’s bed after being fed.
Doctors at Harbor Hospital described the infant’s severe bruising around her eyes and jawline as “suspicious.” (Baltimore Police)
Prosecutors said the mother told investigators that the child was “freezing and in shock” when she brought her to the hospital.
According to the charging documents, doctors determined that the baby had “significant head and brain trauma,” including frontal-lobe hemorrhaging and a subdural hemorrhage.
Hospital staff were unable to revive the infant, who died at the hospital.
The father allegedly told investigators that a “supernatural force or Satan slamming a door on the child” caused his daughter’s injuries. (Tribune News Service via Getty)
Both parents later admitted to investigators that they noticed the girl’s bruises on Sept. 6 and that she began vomiting the following day. They said they did not seek medical treatment until she was unresponsive on Wednesday.
The pair is Guatemalan nationals, and prosecutors argued they pose “an extreme flight risk.”
Both parents were held without bail.
