Police investigating death of 5-year-old Phoenix boy
May 22, 2014, 4:55 PM | Updated: 5:11 pm
PHOENIX — Phoenix police are investigating a possible case of child abuse after a 5-year-old boy died Wednesday.
The boy’s mother allegedly left him and two other children, a 3-year-old and a 4-month-old, in the care of a 16-year-old while she went to work.
The teen told police he became upset with the 5-year-old and pushed him hard to the ground. The child was unconscious and was put in bed.
When the mother returned home around 5 p.m., she thought the boy was asleep. Later, she called him for dinner and found the child had vomited and was unresponsive.
Police were called to Phoenix Children’s Hospital just before 9 p.m., where the boy had been airlifted from another local hospital and was in critical condition.
The 16-year-old has been detailed at the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Center on charges of suspected child abuse.
Police are still investigating.
