Barstow parents arrested on suspicion of killing infant son, driving his body to Pomona
A mother and father from Barstow were arrested this week on suspicion of killing their infant son, according to authorities.
Barstow officers were informed at 11 p.m. Monday by Pomona police about a suspicious death, the Barstow Police Department said Tuesday night.
The Pomona officers were called around 7:55 p.m. Monday to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center after the baby boy arrived unresponsive and was declared dead, Barstow police said.
Detectives saw that the boy suffered “injuries consistent with ongoing abuse,” including lesions, bruising and burn marks on his body, police said.
“Some of the injuries appeared to be in different stages of the healing process,” police said.
The social worker said he was fired after discovering a pattern of delays and improper practices that put children at risk following the death of Gabriel Fernandez.
After further investigation, detectives concluded that the abuse probably occurred at the infant’s home and that he died of his injuries in Barstow before his parents drove him to Pomona, police said.
Officers were sent to the hospital and to the baby’s home in the 700 block of East Virginia Way in Barstow, police said.
Two Barstow detectives arrived at the hospital, interviewed witnesses and contacted the baby’s parents: Ricardo Mendez, 27, and Antanita Miller, 24, police said.
The detectives learned that Mendez and Miller arrived unexpectedly at Mendez’s family’s home in Pomona around 7 p.m. Monday, police said.
“Family members located the victim’s lifeless body in the back of [the parents’] vehicle,” police said. “Some of Mendez’s family members immediately drove the victim to the Pomona Valley Hospital for treatment.”
Mendez and Miller stayed at the home, but eventually Miller left for the hospital, where she was detained, police said. Mendez also left the home and was detained by Pomona officers in the 2100 block of Spencer Street.
Barstow authorities served search warrants at the couple’s residence and on their vehicle, police said.
“During the service of the search warrants, the detectives located items of evidence believed to have been used during the assault on the victim,” police said.
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Mendez was booked Tuesday afternoon at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of murder and a parole violation, jail records show.
Miller was booked into the same jail on suspicion of murder, police said.
The baby’s name was not released Tuesday night.
A Barstow police representative was not available for follow-up questions. It was not known Tuesday whether the parents had been reported to child welfare authorities.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Barstow Police Det. Matthew Helms at (760) 255-5132 or at mhelms@barstowca.org.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-792-7469, or by visiting www.wetip.com.
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