Inland Empire mother arrested two days after baby’s remains found

A woman was arrested Saturday on suspicion of murder in the death of her 8-month-old child in the community of Bloomington, near Fontana.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies arrested Maria Torres, 31, two days after the infant’s remains were found in a storage unit on Linden Avenue, near Torres’ home in Bloomington.

Homicide investigators found that Torres was the mother of the 8-month-old boy and that the infant had likely been dead for more than a year, according to a statement from San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials. Sheriff’s investigators believe that Torres killed the child and hid his body.

The sheriff’s department did not release the cause of death, citing an ongoing investigation.

Torres is also under investigation for fraudulently raising money from a local church and community members, which she told them would be used to cover the child’s burial costs, according to the sheriff’s statement.

Torres was being held without bail Sunday at West Valley Detention Center.

Sheriff’s officials asked anyone with information about the case to call Specialized Investigations Division, Homicide Detail Det. Scott Thies or Sgt. Trevis Newport at (909) 387-3589. To remain anonymous, call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.

Follow Abby Sewell on Twitter at @sewella for more local news.