EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 31-year-old Las Cruces man is facing a charge that he recklessly abused a child resulting in their death or great bodily injury, according to court documents obtained by KTSM.
Joseph Isaiah Parra, 31, was arrested in connection with a 5-month-old boy who was found unresponsive and ended up on a ventilator over the weekend, according to court documents.
It is unclear if the child has died at this time, according to court documents.
At about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s deputies were contacted about a child who was unresponsive and not breathing at a home along the 8700 block of North Valley Drive in Las Cruces.
The child’s grandparents placed the injured child in a vehicle and started driving to get medical care, according to court documents.
Parra, who was later identified as the suspect in this incident, remained at the family home.
Deputies intercepted the grandparents’ vehicle. CPR was administered to the child and he was then taken to a local hospital by ambulance.
When the child’s mother arrived at their home, she was overheard saying that Parra was drunk and had killed the child, according to court documents.
Parra referred to the injured child as one of his sons during his interview with deputies. Otherwise, his relationship with the child was not spelled out.
The grandfather also told deputies that the child had a bruise above the left eye and a “mark” on the right side of his torso, according to court documents.
When deputies spoke to Parra, he was slurring and had a difficult time putting words together, according to court documents.
The suspect also provided inconsistent statements about where the child was when he found him unresponsive, court documents stated.
When the suspect was taken to the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office main station, he had a “significant odor” of alcohol coming from his breath and person, according to court documents.
The mother of the injured child, who was at work at the time of the incident, said that Parra uses THC and consumes alcohol. She also told deputies that she received a call from Parra at about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, saying the baby wasn’t breathing.
She told deputies that she told Parra to call 911 and he responded with, “Call 911 now?” according to court documents.
The mother also said there was not any bruising on the child when she left for work that morning.
The child was born 28 weeks prematurely but did not have any current diagnosed medical conditions, according to court documents.
The mother also said that two weeks previously, there was an alcohol-related incident in which Parra was arrested for domestic violence, according to court documents.
Given how unresponsive the child was, the mother was told by medical personnel that there was potential brain damage. According to court documents, the child was scheduled for more medical tests to determine the extent of his injuries.
Parra, meanwhile, was read his Miranda rights and waived his right to counsel.
According to court documents, Parra provided inconsistent statements throughout the interview and could not provide an “appropriate timeline of events,” according to court documents.
Parra initially denied that he had been drinking but later changed his answer, saying that he had taken two shots of tequila at around 10 a.m.
After changing the diapers of the other children in the house, Parra went to change the injured child and realized he was “lifeless.”
He said he began “tapping” the injured child to get a response and then called both the child’s mother and grandparents before calling 911, according to court documents.
Throughout the interview with deputies, the child’s condition had to be repeated to Parra multiple times.
“When it was said that maybe (the child) had fallen off the bed, (Parra) immediately stated he would never lay a hand on his sons,” according to court documents.
He also told deputies that he thought it was normal for a 5-month-old baby to lay quietly in bed for an hour and a half or longer.
A search of the house found 11 mostly or completely consumed bodies of tequila of various sizes, a majority of them hidden in the trash cans underneath used diapers, according to court documents.
THC wax, along with bongs and a large “torch” lighter, were also found.
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