On March 11, at 8:15am, a 911 caller reported that a 2-year-old girl was not breathing at an apartment complex in the 100 block of 129th St S in Parkland.
When deputies and firefighters arrived, they determined that the child was deceased.
There were two adults on scene — the mother of the 2-year-old girl and the mother’s boyfriend, who is the father of two other children in the home. Detectives determined there was a protection order preventing contact between the man and his two children. The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) had also been investigating allegations of child abuse involving the boyfriend.
The 29-year-old man was arrested in connection to a previous child abuse incident that occurred in a neighboring city and was booked into the Pierce County Jail for assault of a child in the third degree.
Detectives continued the death investigation by examining the scene and interviewing witnesses.
On March 12, the Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and confirmed the manner of death was homicide.
On March 13, detectives interviewed the suspect and learned how the injuries occurred.
Subsequently, detectives arrested the mother and the boyfriend for homicide by abuse and for murder. Both suspects are expected to be charged and arraigned today.