A Maryland couple has been arrested following the death of their 2-month-old daughter, who suffered catastrophic head injuries. Court records and prosecutors say the father allegedly told police that “Satan” or a supernatural force had slammed a door on the infant.
Baltimore Police identified the parents as 21-year-olds Oscar Pineda and Katerin Monzon-Alvarado. They each face first- and second-degree child abuse, first- and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment charges in the death of Aida Mikea Monzon Alvarado. The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 55 years, and homicide counts could be added once the autopsy findings are complete, police said.
The infant was brought to Harbor Hospital on Wednesday with severe bruising around her eyes and jaw that medical staff deemed suspicious. According to charging documents cited by CBS Baltimore, further testing uncovered extensive trauma to her head and brain, along with multiple skull fractures that had not been detected during the first examination.
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)
Investigators say Pineda claimed his daughter’s injuries resulted from “a supernatural force or Satan slamming a door on the child.” At a Friday court hearing, prosecutors said Monzon-Alvarado offered a different account, telling authorities that her 2-year-old son frequently jumps on the bed and that the baby fell to the floor.
However, the prosecutor said the severity of the baby’s injuries was inconsistent with a single fall from a bed.
Police said the mother took the child to the hospital Wednesday after the infant became unresponsive. She initially told officers that the baby had stopped responding while lying face down on the couple’s bed after being fed.
The infant was transported to Harbor Hospital after doctors observed severe, suspicious bruising around her eyes and jawline. (Baltimore Police)
Prosecutors said Monzon-Alvarado later told investigators that the baby was “freezing and in shock” when she brought her in for treatment.
According to the charging documents, doctors found that the child had suffered major head and brain trauma, including bleeding in the frontal lobe and a subdural hemorrhage.
Hospital staff could not revive the child, and she died in the hospital.
The girl’s father allegedly told police that his daughter was injured “due to a supernatural force or Satan slamming a door on the child.” (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.