UPDATE: The father of a 3-month-old baby boy who died over the weekend after his mother found him not breathing is sharing his story from behind bars.
Investigators ruled the death at the apartment on South Union Avenue suspicious and arrested the baby's parents. As 17's Rachelle Murcia reports, the father, Luis Cortez, says there is no reason he should be sitting in jail.
"I love you very much" is the message Luis Cortez wants his 4-year-old son to hear. Child Protective Services took the little boy away on Saturday, the same day Cortez's wife, Teresa Corrales, found their other son, 3-month-old Adrian Cortez, not breathing.
"I can still see the look in her face, you know, she was like, 'please help me with my baby. He's not breathing.' And I look and I freak out and I say, 'call 911.' That's all I could do," said neighbor Andrea Williams. "I didn't know what else to do."
The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital and police arrested both parents. They are facing charges of felony child abuse and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
"No, never. I had nothing to do with the death of my child, I swear to God," said Cortez. He said 3-month-old Adrian was born premature and had breathing issues. On Saturday, Cortez was working at Tacos La Villa when everything happened.
"He just left running. That's all I know," said Jesus Cazares, manager of Tacos La Villa.
Cortez says he admitted to police he had smoked meth 2 days prior to his son's death but has been trying to stop. "It's a very difficult habit to kick," said Cortez.
Cortez also admits his wife has a history of drug use. Cazares said Cortez would worry, working so much and leaving his kids alone with her. "He didn't have any family here to ask for help so he didn't get any option than to let him with the mom," said Cazares.
Since the arrest, Cortez signed immigration papers meaning he'll likely be deported to Mexico. He says he's not been able to speak to his wife to see if she's done the same since she's also undocumented. He fears what this all means for the only son he still has.
17 News requested to speak with the mother, Teresa Corrales, but she denied our request.
The coroner is scheduled to preform an autopsy this week to determine the exact cause of the baby's death.
Original story is as follows:
Sheriff's deputies arrested the parents of a 3 month old baby Saturday afternoon in south Bakersfield.
Deputies were called to an apartment complex in the 1500 block of South Union Avenue for reports of a child not breathing.
The baby, Adrian Cortez, was transported to Mercy Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
37-year-old Teresa Corrales and 38-year-old Luis Cortez were arrested for felony child abuse and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Both were booked into the downtown jail.
A four year old sibling, also living in the home, was placed into protective custody.
