WEST CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 20-year-old migrant worker from southern Chester County is charged with the murder of his 21-month-old stepson after authorities say the boy died from blunt force trauma to his abdomen.
Enrique Lopez-Gomez is charged with third-degree murder after the 21-month-old who was in his care while his mother was at work died from ruptured intestines. According to the criminal complaint, Lopez-Gomez told investigators he tripped and fell on the little boy as he was changing his diaper around 4:30 Monday morning. When the child wouldn’t stop crying, he punched him in the stomach.
A family called authorities around 11 p.m. that night. Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe says the boy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
“All I can tell you is that, but it appears that by the time anyone called 911, the child did not have a pulse, and may have been dead by then,” he said.
The complaint claims Lopez-Gomez performed a “Guatemalan healing ritual” but didn’t tell the mother about the possible cause of the boy’s injuries. De Barrena-Sarobe says it’s unclear if that played a role in the boy’s death.
“I don't know whether that is just denial of seeing a child that appears dead and being a parent that's immediately in mourning. Or if that's a true, deeply held belief that that will somehow work," he said.
Lopez-Gomez’s immigration status is not immediately clear and the case remains an ongoing investigation with language and cultural barriers. Investigators say an ICE detainer is in place.