Father questioned after 2-year-old dies of head trauma in Banning
Authorities have detained the father of a 2-year-old girl who died of a head injury early Tuesday morning in Banning.
A hospital employee called Banning police about 6:45 a.m. when the father showed up at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital with the toddler, who had multiple injuries and wasn’t breathing, the Banning Police Department said. The child was pronounced dead soon after.
It’s unclear how she sustained the injuries, but Banning Police Sgt. Mike Bennett said it appeared as though the child was “assaulted over a several-day period.”
The girl’s parents are separated, Bennett said, and when the mother gave the child to the father for visitation on Halloween, the child had no injuries.
Authorities called the death suspicious and said they had detained the father, who was not identified, “for further questioning.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Banning police at (951) 922-3170.
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @AleneTchek
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