A 30-year-old Pennsylvania man has been charged with punching a 21-month-old boy in the abdomen so hard that he killed the toddler.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said the Enrique Lopez Gomez “brutally injured a toddler under his care, failed to get the child medical care, and caused his death.”
“It’s difficult to fathom how someone could do this,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Family identified the boy to WTXF as Anilson Mauricio Perez Gomez.
A statement from the district attorney’s office said that emergency medical personnel were called to the home in Kennett Township at about 11 p.m. on Monday. They were met outside by the boy’s mother, carrying him in a blanket.
“He had white foam coming from his nose and mouth and was pulseless,” the statement said. “Once in the ambulance, EMS also noted bruising on the child’s body and alerted police.”
The boy was transported to Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children but was declared dead at about 12:15 a.m.
According to WCAU, Gomez and the child’ mother had been dating for about six months. The mother left her son in Gomez’s care while she went to work. At some point, Gomez was reportedly trying to change the boy’s diaper but became angry at the child’s crying and slugged him, then put him down for a nap.
When the mother arrived home, an affidavit said, she thought the boy was sick and took him to her sister’s house. Gomez didn’t bother to mention that he’d punched the boy for several hours despite his declining health.
“Mr. Gomez struck that child in the abdomen at least once, causing significant injuries to that child and did not get medical care for that child,” de Barrena-Sarobe said at a news conference. “It’s a straightforward fact scenario, and unfortunately, it’s just as disturbing as it is straightforward.”
The investigation is still under way, as detectives have not determined just when the defendant slugged the child in the stomach.
Gomez has been charged with third degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and related charges and is being held on a $10 million bond.
