Toddler dead; KCSO, CPS silent on details

There may be more information Wednesday on the death of a 2-year-old East Bakersfield boy whose safety had been a concern to neighbors long before his lifeless body was removed by coroner's investigators. The sheriff's office refused to say if there was a murderer at large, and Child Protective services wouldn't say if conditions at the house had previously been investigated.

"The whole neighborhood was very upset," neighbor Truddi Fry said as she explained the somber mood in her Tangerine Street neighborhood in east Bakersfield, near Niles Street and Fairfax Road.

She and her neighbors watched as coroner's employees  carried a little limp body out of a house.

Deputies say they responded to calls of a child not breathing Monday morning. Deputies administered CPR and then took the boy to Kern Medical Center. The Corner's Office says 2-year-old Guierrmo Alvarez died hours later.

Neighbors say the mother is 27-year-old Gina Serna. According to Serna's MySpace page, she has a boyfriend and four other children.

Sheriff's deputies wouldn't say what happened, or if others are in danger. They said the family's other children are in protective custody.

"The information that I've received is that it is a suspicious death," Senior Deputy Michael Whorf said.

The Sheriff's Department says no one has been arrested and homicide detectives are still investigating the case. Deputies spent hours taking evidence from inside the home and talking to two women outside.

Neighbors say the family has lived in the house only a few months but they were worried about the children before Monday.

"The place is a mess,'' said neighbor Truddi Fry. ''I was concerned for the kids running barefoot in the yard. There is always glass, trash, and nails so that was a concern.'' 

Neighbor Pedro Hernandez also was worried.

"The few times that I got involved strictly was when I saw the kids playing in the yard,'' he said. ''I used to tell them to get back in the house and whoever is watching you … tell them to keep a better eye on you.'' 

Child Protective Services would not comment on the case or say whether they had been to the home before. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday morning.