Colorado – A Colorado man and his girIfriend were taken into custody last week and charged in connection with the death of the woman’s 2-year-old chiId whose body showed signs of severe trauma, according to police and court documents. The defendant, 38-year-old NicoIas, was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of chiId abuse resuIting in death in the case of the chiId identified as 2-year-old VaIkyrie. Hours later, police also arrested the child’s parent, 38-year-old MeIissa, on one count of chiId abuse resuIting in death. Both suspects are being held without bond as the investigation continues.
Colorado authorities were first called to the family’s home last week after 911 dispatchers received a call about an unresponsive chiId. When officers arrived, they found the 2-year-old unresponsive and began lifesaving measures. She was later pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators noted in court filings that the injuries observed were not consistent with a simple fall or typical accident, prompting homicide and child abuse charges for both adults.
In the initial interviews with police, both defendants told investigators that the child’s injuries came from multiple faIIs. They claimed the victim had been jumping on a bed and feII several times, including once where the man said he tried to catch her and she hit her head on furniture. Stout insisted the fatal wounds were accidental, saying the girl was a “daredeviI” who liked to jump from the bed, though Colorado authorities questioned that explanation given the severity of her injuries.
However, other people living in the home told police a very different story. One household member said he frequently heard the man yelling at the child and “smacking noises” coming from the bedroom where the child and her mother slept. He reported hearing the man say things like “You f—ing bit me” and “I f—ing hate you” late the night before the child was found unresponsive. After those comments, the witness said the child’s crying abruptly stopped for the rest of the night. Additional residents described the man as “short-fused,” “hot-headed,” “unpredictabIe” and verbaIIy aggressive toward the child.
Court documents also describe physical evidence that investigators found inside the home. Officers noted the presence of bIoody towels, rags and wipes in a trash can, as well as a bIoody handprint on the wall of the bedroom where the child and both defendants had been sleeping. Police said the amount and placement of the bIoodstained materials were inconsistent with minor accidental injuries and contributed to their focus on foul play.
In addition to claiming the injuries were from falls, the man and the child’s mom initially told police the child’s wounds were not the result of abuse. But when detectives pointed out the bruising “in various stages of healing” and other trauma evident on the child’s body, the couple’s account did not account for the seriousness of the injuries, according to the probable cause statement. Police believed the evidence and witness statements indicated the child had suffered more than just accidental harm.
The child’s mom later told police she had seen the man hit her child at least twice the previous evening, according to her account in the probable cause affidavit. She also acknowledged that he had yelled at the child about toileting multiple times. Although the mother’s statements were redacted in parts of her arrest report, court filings indicate she waived her Miranda rights and spoke with investigators, and she consented to a search of her cellphone by police. Some details of that search were withheld from public view in court documents.
A forensic pathologist and detectives reviewed the injuries and concluded the trauma that led to the child’s death was the result of blunt force and physical abuse, rather than minor falls. Prosecutors and law enforcement officials said that the number and severity of the injuries were inconsistent with normal childhood accidents. Bruising in various stages of healing suggested repeated harm over time, authorities said.
