Recent string of child slayings unnerves Metro investigators

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The tiny body of "Baby Girl Salazar" was discovered face down in a bathtub not long after she was prematurely born.

Richard Findley, 7, was tied and beaten unconscious.

And 9-year-old Ryleigh Island died from fatal doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone given to her by family members to treat pain resulting from a fractured elbow, according to Metro Police.

The newborn, the boy and the girl represent three of nine deaths involving children age 12 and under investigated in Metro's jurisdiction so far this year. All occurred during the second half of the year, including four in October, according to department figures.

One child death is "too many," said Lt. Roger Price, who heads Metro's abuse and neglect unit. The only identified trend in some of this year's slayings involved witnesses with knowledge of abuse not reporting it, he said — information that "may have been used to contact families sooner and intervene."

Although they constitute about 5 percent of the total homicides investigated by Metro so far this year, child killings are taxing on everyone involved.

The deaths leave families "completely devastated," Price said.

Investigators can also struggle in the aftermath of such cases. "It's very difficult for everybody involved," he said. Unfortunately, children could be some of the worst victims for us to handle. They haven't lived life yet. Everybody views a child in a personal way."

It's a "tragic situation all along," Price said.

2016 CHILD HOMICIDES

Baby Girl Salazar, newborn

Take for instance Baby Girl Salazar. Her mother, 20-year-old Veronica, who was arrested hours after the July 6 incident, had kept her pregnancy a secret, which was only revealed when she was taken to a hospital as she bled out, according to her arrest report.

Salazar gave birth in a bathroom, cut the umbilical chord with a razor, wrapped the newborn in a blanket and placed her face down in a bathtub with about 5 inches of water. Salazar didn't tell anybody about the baby, who was dead when police arrived at the central valley apartment.

Richard Findley, 7

As punishment, Richard Findley was tied with shirts; his head was slapped and "flicked" and he was punched in the stomach, police said. First responders found him unresponsive Sunday in an east valley apartment.

His mother's roommate, Kenneth Leon Robinson Jr., 31, was arrested when the boy died on Sunday, police said. Richard's mother, Roshaun Malone, 26, was taken into custody Friday.

Both are booked on one count of murder at the Clark County Detention Center, jail records show.

Ryleigh Island, 9

Ryleigh died from intoxication of prescription pills that police say were negligently given to her in a three- to four-day span in August by her mother and aunt, police said. The women canceled a pediatric appointment the day before her death, which investigators said may have saved her life.

Island's mother, Kendra Hatch, 40, and her sister, Mylynda Hatch, were arrested last week and are facing murder charges, police said. The sisters allege over-the-counter medication given to the girl for a fractured elbow wasn't taking away her pain, so they gave her doses of unprescribed hydrocodone and oxycodone.

Pneumonia also contributed to Island's death, police said. The illness and overdose symptoms would have been spotted during a doctor's visit the girl kept an appointment the day before she died, police said. But the women turned the car around when they were en route to the doctor's office out of fear that questions might be asked, they told police.

Lyriq Clayton, 1

Demond Terrell Billingsley, 21, was charged with murder after the baby girl he was tasked with watching at an apartment near Desert Inn Road and Swenson Street died from scalding burns, police said.

Lyriq Clayton's injuries were so severe that the skin on her feet, chest, back and hands began to shed, police said. First responders were called to the apartment on Oct. 13.

She died from third-degree burns to 85 percent of her body and swelling to her brain and body because of the burns, police said.

Lyriq and her mother lived with Billingsley, his girlfriend and the child they share, police said.

While the women were out, one at work and the other at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Billingsley said he decided to bathe the children. He put his son first in the bathtub, he told police.

When he later put Lyriq in the bathtub he didn't know the water was scalding hot, though she was screaming and crying, he said.

Billinsgley later admitted to walking away from the bathroom several times and not paying attention to the water temperature, police said. He said he "made a mistake."

Jasmine Sherfield, 2

On Oct. 18, officers were called to a south valley apartment where Diana Eldridge, 23, lived with her three children, police said.

Jasmine, who was found unresponsive, had "suffered from from environmental and medical neglect for an extended period of time" prior to her death, police said.

Eldridge was arrested Wednesday and booked on one count of murder and two counts of child abuse and neglect.

Few details were available Friday, but according to a child death disclosure form released by the state's Division of Child and Family Services, there had been five previous investigations stemming from reports alleging abuse from either the child's family or a member of the household.

It isn't immediately clear who the allegations were made against or what child was allegedly abused.

The first report, investigated July 2015, was found to be "substantiated," the form said. It wasn't clear what action, if any, was taken.

Investigations into three reports following the first deemed the claims to be "unsubstantiated," according to the document.

A fifth claim filed on Sept. 30 remained under investigation at the time of Jasmine's death, the document shows.

Eldridge's arrest report wasn't released prior to this story.

Izayah Pelaez-Daniel, 5 months

Early morning on Oct. 8, officers were dispatched to a southwest valley apartment to investigate Izayah's death, police said.

He had been found unresponsive and rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead, police said. Information on his official cause of death wasn't released this week, but Metro deemed it to be a homicide.

He died upon an abusive act, Lt. Price said. The case has been turned over to the District Attorney's Office for evaluation, he said.

A CPS disclosure form published after Izayah's death showed that the agency had conducted at least six investigations into his family or members of the household from 2013 until last year, the document shows. The allegations were found to be "unsubstantiated."

Again, it wasn't immediately clear who the allegations were made against or how the baby was allegedly abused.

Anhurak Dej-Oudom, 8

Anhurak died in a June 29 murder-suicide that claimed the lives of his mother, his brother, 13, his sister, 15, and his father, the perpetrator, police said.

The mother had moved her children out of the family's northwest valley apartment following a separation and what she described in court documents as threats from her husband.

Not long before the shooting, she had applied for a temporary protective order against the man, which the court denied because the threats she alleged in the application were from out of state and occurred no later than 2007, the court said.

“With the benefit of hindsight, it is arguable that the (temporary protection order) should have been ordered,” a court spokeswoman said at the time in a statement. “The court mourns the Dej-Oudom family’s loss from this tragedy and will continue to work with our community partners in addressing the far-reaching issue of domestic violence in Clark County.”

Henry Martinez, 5 months

Henry was four days shy of turning 6 months old when he died on Aug. 5, two days after an unknown incident, documents show. It wasn't immediately clear how he died or why Metro has deemed his death a homicide. No arrests have been announced.

Jasper Walker, 1

Jasper died on Sept. 2, four days after an undisclosed incident, CPS records show. Jail logs indicate Duarte Jeremiah Fayne, 25, is facing a murder charge in Jasper's death.

According to a news report, Fayne, the baby's mother's boyfriend, beat the child to death, fracturing his skull.

A call to action

Lt. Price said called the deaths a series of unfortunate incidents. He said he "can't encourage" witnesses enough to come forward with information of abuse and neglect. "Our whole goal and main goal is for us to prevent it from getting to that level," he said of the slayings.

Resources

New parents in Nevada can surrender babies younger than 30 days old to any hospital, urgent care, fire or police station or ambulance as long as there are no signs of abuse, according to Safe Haven Nevada.

According to the Safe Haven Infant Protection Act, parents can surrender their babies with "no fear of arrest or prosecution."

"No names or records are required," according to the act.

A crisis hotline can be reached at 800-992-5757. For more information, visit safehavennv.org.

To report abuse, witnesses can call Metro's abuse and neglect unit, 702-828-3364, 911 or 311. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.

Contact Clark County CPS anonymously at 702-399-0081. To submit a report online, visit here.