Parents held in baby’s death

Barstow boy driven to Pomona had ‘injuries consistent with abuse,’ police say.

A mother and father from Barstow were arrested this week on suspicion of killing their infant son, authorities said.

Barstow officers were informed at 11 p.m. Monday by Pomona police about a suspicious death, the Barstow Police Department said Tuesday night.

The Pomona officers were called around 7:55 p.m. Monday to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center after the baby boy arrived unresponsive and was declared dead, Barstow police said.

Detectives saw that the boy had suffered “injuries consistent with ongoing abuse,” including lesions, bruising and burn marks on his body, police said.

“Some of the injuries appeared to be in different stages of the healing process,” police said.

After further investigation, detectives concluded that the abuse probably occurred at the infant’s home and that he died of his injuries in Barstow before his parents drove him to Pomona, police said.

Officers were sent to the hospital and to the baby’s home in the 700 block of East Virginia Way in Barstow, police said.

Detectives saw bruising and burn marks. ‘Some ... injuries appeared to be in different stages of the healing process,’ police said.

Two Barstow detectives arrived at the hospital, interviewed witnesses and contacted the baby’s parents: Ricardo Mendez, 27, and Antanita Miller, 24, police said.

The detectives learned that Mendez and Miller arrived unexpectedly at the home of Mendez’s family in Pomona around 7 p.m. Monday, police said.

“Family members located the victim’s lifeless body in the back of [the] vehicle,” police said. “Some of Mendez’s family members immediately drove the victim to the Pomona Valley Hospital for treatment.”

Mendez and Miller stayed at the home, but eventually Miller left for the hospital, where she was detained, police said. Mendez also left the home and was detained by Pomona officers in the 2100 block of Spencer Street.

Barstow authorities served search warrants at the couple’s residence and on their vehicle, police said.

“During the service of the search warrants, the detectives located items of evidence believed to have been used during the assault on the victim,” police said.

Mendez was booked Tuesday afternoon at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of murder and a parole violation, jail records show.

Miller was booked into the same jail on suspicion of murder, police said.

The baby’s name was not released Tuesday night.

A Barstow police representative was not available for follow-up questions. It was not known Tuesday whether the parents had been reported to child welfare authorities.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Barstow Police Det. Matthew Helms at (760) 255-5132 or at mhelms@barstowca.org.