Couple Held in Death of 4-Month-Old Son : Crime: Authorities say the infant died after being ‘squeezed and shaken.’ Arrest of parents followed a lengthy investigation of incident in San Clemente.

A Big Bear couple have been arrested in connection with the death last January of their 4-month-old baby, whom authorities said died after being “squeezed and shaken.”

Christopher Grear Miller and Tina McCleeary, both 31 and formerly of San Clemente, were arrested at home last week by Orange County sheriff’s detectives after an investigation linked them to the death of their son, Alexander Miller. Both parents face charges of child abuse and child endangerment, Sheriff’s Lt. Dan Martini said.

Evidence leading to the arrests was not disclosed, pending completion of the investigation, he said.

“We know that the child was abused,” Martini said. “We would like to prove the injuries were caused by the suspects and were the cause of death.”

The arrests mark the second time in a week in which a parent has been arrested in connection with shaken baby syndrome, where shaking of an infant damages developing tissues. On Saturday, a 6-week-old baby was diagnosed with bleeding in the brain and eyes after his parents brought him to Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The baby, Christian Valdez, remains in critical condition, while his father, Juan Carlos Valdez Rivera, 20, of Buena Park is in jail on suspicion of felony child abuse.

At the time of the San Clemente incident on Jan. 6, 1994, authorities attributed the cause of Alexander’s death to sudden infant death syndrome. However, autopsy reports and an “extensive review” of the case led to the conclusion that the parents might be responsible, Martini said.

“We found several rib fractures to the lower back, as well as an old contusion on top of the brain,” he said. “We also didn’t find any external injuries or any other visible signs of trauma to the child, leading us to believe that the injuries probably were caused by someone shaking the child.”

The incident was brought to the attention of San Clemente police after Alexander’s 13-year-old half-sister discovered that Alexander had stopped breathing 15 minutes after their parents left the house to run errands, Martini said. A neighbor called paramedics, who tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the infant. Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene.