A 19-year-old Victorville man whose baby girl died after sustaining serious injuries to her head and body has been arrested on suspicion of murder, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday morning.
An investigation began last Saturday night when deputies responded to the Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville to a suspected child abuse call, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department.
Medical personnel told deputies that the victim, 6-month-old Layla Thomas, was unresponsive and had no pulse when she arrived at the hospital.
Doctors were able to restore the baby’s pulse after performing CPR on her before putting her on a ventilator.
A CT-Scan of the child showed that Layla had suffered “serious injuries,” including a fractured skull, brain injury and bruising to her body, according to the release.
She was then airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center in order to receive advanced care.
Layla died on Wednesday shortly before 2 p.m., according to sheriff’s officials.
The department’s Specialized Investigations Division was initially called in due to the severity of the girl’s injuries, but later turned the investigation over to the Crimes Against Children and Homicide Details, the release stated.
As a result of the investigation, detectives arrested the girl’s father, Timall Thomas, according to the release. He was booked at the High Desert Detention Center on suspicion of murder.
Anyone with additional information regarding the little girl’s death has been asked to call Sheriff’s Homicide Detail Sgt. John Gaffney or Detective Chuck Phillips at 909-387-3589.
Those who would like to remain anonymous have been asked to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463, or go to the website http://www.wetip.com.
