Sheriff Alex Villanueva Tuesday announced an investigation into the death of a 4-year-old Palmdale boy who was reported to have been injured in a near drowning, but who had trauma injuries that raised suspicion about how he died.
A call for service was made about 4 p.m. Friday to a home where the boy, identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as Noah Cuatro, lived with his parents and three siblings, according to Villanueva, who announced the investigation at a news conference at sheriff’s headquarters along with Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza.
The boy’s parents reported that the child nearly drowned in the pool at the family’s home in the 1200 block of E. Avenue S, Mendoza said.
The child was taken first to Palmdale Regional Medical Center and then to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and found to have traumatic injuries to his body that were not consistent with what the parents said happened, Villanueva said. The boy was pronounced dead on Saturday morning.
The manner and cause of death have not been disclosed.
The boy’s parents were questioned but not arrested and his siblings were taken into protective custody, according to Mendoza, who said there were previous reports to the county Department of Children and Family Services regarding the boy. He did not reveal specifics, saying information was still being gathered.
“I think it’s important for us to get out in front of this and seek answers and justice for Noah,” Barger said.
A GoFundMe page established to assist the family had raised $900 toward a $3,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.
The fatality follows the deaths of two Antelope Valley boys — 10-year-old Anthony Avalos of Lancaster in June 2018 and 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez of Palmdale in May 2013 — who were found to have suffered severe abuse in cases that raised questions about the effectiveness of DFCS personnel and policies.