WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) — A Chester County man has been charged with murder after a 21-month-old boy died from blunt force trauma caused by at least one blow to the abdomen, the district attorney’s office said.
Enrique Lopez Gomez, 20, of West Grove, is charged with third-degree murder and related offenses.
The toddler died shortly after midnight on Tuesday after emergency workers rushed him to hospital late on Monday evening, prosecutor Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Police were called to a home in the 600 block of Cope Road in Kenneth Township, and when first responders arrived, the child’s mother carried him outside wrapped in a blanket, the district attorney’s office said. “He had white foam coming from his nose and mouth and had no pulse,” a news release said.
According to the Barrena-Sarobe, Lopez Gomez hit the toddler at least once in the abdomen sometime on Monday, causing “significant injuries.” The prosecutor said the child did not receive medical care and that hours passed before the 911 call.
The prosecutor said photos show “at least two clear quarter-sized bruises” on the toddler’s body.
“It’s a simple fact scenario and unfortunately as disturbing as it is simple,” said de Barrena-Sarobe.
The prosecutor said the toddler moved between homes in West Grove and Kennett Township.
According to De Barrena-Sarobe, investigators currently have no evidence of previous abuse.
De Barrena-Sarobe described Lopez Gomez as “essentially a stepfather” to the boy.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, no one else has yet been charged in connection with the toddler’s death.
Court documents show Lopez Gomez is being held in Chester County Jail on $10 million bail.
