The father of a 6-day-old baby found mortally wounded on the living room floor of a Spring Valley home was arrested on suspicion of murder Wednesday, officials said.
Deputies arrested David Ruiz, 22, after being called to the home around 1:20 p.m. after someone reported a battery. When deputies and paramedics arrived they found the newborn, who had suffered trauma to his head, unconscious on the floor, said sheriff’s homicide Lt. Michael Krugh.
Crews attempted life-saving measures but the baby at the home.
The Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy Thursday and concluded that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, Krugh said.
Other than Ruiz, there were four people in the home at the time of the death. Two were family of the baby and two were friends of the family, Krugh said. Ruiz was visiting the home, he said.
“At this stage of the investigation, the motivation and circumstances surrounding this tragic homicide are still unclear,” the lieutenant said in a statement.
Anyone with information about the incident was asked to call the Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
