Father accused of abusing infant girl
6-week-old is in grave condition with numerous fractures
SAN JOSE — A 6-weekold girl is fighting for her life and her father, a convicted child abuser, has been arrested after authorities found signs of horrific violence inflicted on the infant, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
The baby girl was brought to Valley Medical Center on Sunday suffering from cardiac arrest, and an examination by medical staff revealed bone fractures throughout the child’s body, including what they described as a “nonaccidental” skull fracture, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Hospital staff alerted authorities to what they believed was a possible child abuse case, and responding sheriff’s deputies employed the county Child Abuse Protocol, which launched an investigation by homicide detectives, child abuse detectives and crime scene investigators.
That contingent went to the child’s home on Boston Avenue in the unincorporated Burbank neighborhood of San Jose and, after interviewing her parents, determined there was enough evidence to arrest father Matthew Zabala on suspicion of child abuse and domestic violence against the child’s mother.
Zabala, 32, of San Jose, mother and was sentenced to a four-year state prison term, though how long he served was not immediately available.
Zabala’s Facebook page displays images suggesting he still had contact with his two other children, and one photo indicates he was in a hospital delivery room apparently hours before the 6-week-old baby was born.