An Arizona couple was charged over last week’s death of their toddler who was brought unconscious to a CVS pharmacy on Thursday.
First responders were called to Glendale pharmacy over a 21-month-old boy who was not breathing and not moving when brought by his parents, seeking help.
The boy was declared dead at a hospital shortly later. Francisco Javier Felix Higuera and Maria Isabel Machado Perez were subsequently arrested for questioning.
Higuera told detectives that the boy sustained the bruises observed all over his body and cuts around his face and head in a crash “about 10 to 15 days ago.”
He claimed Perez was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver while her son was not in a car seat. After the crash, Higuera claimed, the boy became sick and started throwing up.
Autopsy results showed the victim died from abuse that lasted over “a long period of time.”
When confronted about the results, Higuera admitted he had thrown the child four feet into his crib after his full-diaper split and he became covered in feces.
He also confessed to beating the boy with a belt on his chest and backside before he and Perez took him to the CVS.
Higuera was charged with first-degree murder and child abuse. Perez faces charges of child abuse for not reporting the abuse or seeking medical help.
