This week, authorities in Glendale arrested a mother and her boyfriend following an investigation into the death of a 7-month-old infant.
According to court records, Tina Mejia, 26, and Jacob Gano, 23, were accused of driving around with a young boy in the car while buying and selling illicit drugs, following the boy’s severe injuries last month.
Jacob Gano
Tina Mejia
Although the accused individuals claimed they were not responsible for the child’s deadly wounds, alleging that he was injured by falling from a mattress of only 11 inches, the autopsy concluded that the cause of death was a homicide due to severe head injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
Investigators found the couple gave inconsistent statements about the events leading up to the child’s death.
According to authorities, the infant was injured at approximately 9 p.m. on the night of March 30th.
According to arrest documents, Mejia and Gano acknowledged observing the swelling on the baby’s head’s right side, but they both went to sleep in their Glendale apartment that they shared.
The autopsy report detailed that the child would have experienced intense discomfort as a result of his injuries, causing him to continuously scream or cry.
As per the arrest documents, Mejia and Gano were aware that the baby required medical care but they did not take him to the hospital until the following night. They were both concerned about the possibility of being accused of intentionally causing harm to the child.
At around 8:30 p.m. on March 31, a nurse at Dignity Health Arizona General Hospital in Glendale contacted the police to report the passing of a child. According to the documents of the arrest, the boy was unresponsive and showed signs of being deceased upon arrival at the hospital.
After a thorough inquiry, Mejia and Gano were both taken into custody for the alleged crimes of child abuse and murder. Bail was established at $500,000 for each of them. The suspects are accused of waiting nearly 24 hours before seeking medical help for the baby after noticing the child was in severe distress.
