A man and a woman were arrested in Arkansas on Tuesday after the woman's 1-year-old child was found dead in their bedroom closet.
Fayetteville Police say that 21-year-old Tyler Hobbs called dispatchers stating that the child fell down the stairs and started seizing. He said that he performed CPR on the child but could not revive the child. Hobbs told police, “It happened a few days ago.” He explained that he got scared and did not know what to do.
When officers arrived on the scene, they spoke with Hobbs and the child’s mother, 21-year-old Maria Giron-Molina.
Inside the closet of the bedroom where the couple slept, officers found the child's body decomposing inside a plastic container that was covered with blankets.
Hobbs later admitted to investigators that the child was crying uncontrollably and that it was giving him a headache. The child then knocked a picture frame and lamp off of a bedside table. Angered at the child’s refusal to calm down, police say that Hobbs picked the child up and covered its mouth with his hand to “muffle” the crying.
Hobbs told investigators that the child hit and scratched him, so he shook the child back-and-forth. Hobbs said he blacked out, and when he “came to”, he saw the child was not breathing.
He then performed CPR to attempt to revive the child. His initial effort was successful, but ultimately the child died without ever receiving medical attention, according to police.
Hobbs said he was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the child’s death. He expressed remorse for his actions, and he said he did not intend to harm the child, police say.
Hobbs was arrested for first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. Giron-Molina was arrested for abuse of a corpse.
Mary Stringini is a digital reporter for ABC Action News. Follow her on Twitter @MaryWFTS.
