Suspect in Toddler’s Slaying Arrested

A 32-year-old Santa Ana man suspected of molesting, torturing and killing a toddler last January was arrested in Albuquerque on Friday night after his picture was aired on the television show “Unsolved Mysteries,” police said.

Albuquerque police arrested Trent Stephen Fouts, who was the last person seen with 20-month-old Joshua Troy Massengill.

Within minutes after the portion of the program featuring Fouts aired, tipsters called “Unsolved Mysteries” to say the 6-foot, 200-pound, blond-haired man with numerous tattoos frequented the A&P; bar in Albuquerque.

Santa Ana police, who were at the show’s taping, called Albuquerque and local police there went to the bar, learned Fouts’ address and arrested him at his apartment. His arrest was the 150th resulting from the television show, its producers said.

Fouts had been in Albuquerque for about three months and had a job as a construction worker, said Albuquerque Police Det. Rick Foley.

At the time of the toddler’s death, police officials called his killing one of the worst cases of abuse they had seen.

Fouts and the baby’s mother were staying at a Santa Ana motel, police said, and Fouts was baby-sitting shortly before the child’s beaten and burned body was abandoned at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

Fouts, who has a lengthy criminal history with arrests for theft, burglary, drunk driving and drug charges, also is wanted for a December 1996 cocaine possession charge, Santa Ana police said.

He is being detained at the Bernalillo County Detention Center in Albuquerque on California arrest warrants and will be arraigned in court Monday.

Fouts will be given a hearing date and the opportunity to either waive extradition to California or fight his return to Orange County.