Arrest made in death of 17-month old La Mirada toddler

By Randy Economy

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mark Edward Vaughn, a 21-year-old was arrested last Tuesday by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives in connection with the death of a La Mirada girl.

Vaughn, a resident of Corona, told Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detectives that on January 20 he was babysitting his girlfriend’s 17-month-old daughter at her La Mirada home. Vaughn said that just after 10:00 AM that morning, the baby fell out of a chair and struck her head on the floor. Realizing the baby was injured, he dialed 9-1-1.

On Friday, January 20, at 10:22 pm, Norwalk Sheriff’s Station deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a “Baby Not Breathing” call at a home, located in the 15200 block of Valeda Drive, La Mirada, where they found the child in distress. She was transported via ambulance to an Orange County hospital and listed in death imminent condition.

The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital four days later, on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Personnel from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the victim’s head. The case was ruled as a homicide.

Investigation by Homicide detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department of the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death revealed that such a fall onto the carpeted floor, as alleged by Vaughn, would not cause the type of injury and trauma to the victim’s head.

Based upon the investigations and findings of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives and the Orange County Coroner, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office personnel filed a murder charge against Vaughn.

“An arrest warrant for Vaughn was served and on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Sheriff’s detectives arrested him at his home, located in the 1000 block of Fernleaf Lane, Corona,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Lieutenant John Corina.

Vaughn was booked at the Century Sheriff’s Station for Murder and Assault Resulting In the Death of A Child Under 8 Years of Age. He is being held in lieu of $1,000,000.00 bail.

Arraignment is set for Monday, April 23, 2012, at Downey Superior Court.

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