Child's Death Along SR-74 Near Palm Desert Was Homicide: Sheriff

PALM DESERT, CA — More details have been released about a child who was found dead Wednesday off state Route 74, about 5 miles south of Palm Desert.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced that Palm Desert resident Adam Slater, 49, has been arrested on suspicion of killing the girl, who was his daughter.

The incident began around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday after sheriff's deputies received a call about a stabbing in the 44100 block of Washington Street in Indian Wells. When they arrived, they found "a female victim with multiple injuries caused in a domestic violence incident," according to a sheriff's department news release.

The victim, who was transported to a local hospital and is in stable condition, identified her attacker as Slater and she provided a vehicle description. The sheriff's department did not indicate what her relationship with Slater was.

Not long after the Indian Wells call, the California Highway Patrol received a report around 9 a.m. about a vehicle that had crashed on SR-74, south of Vista Point. The automobile description matched Slater's getaway vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.

Motorists who saw the crash went to the aid of the overturned vehicle's occupants. According to witnesses, the driver of the crashed vehicle, later identified as Slater, stabbed "a male" who was trying to free a young girl from the wreckage, the sheriff's department said.

Slater grabbed the girl from the wounded male and threw her over a steep cliff into a ravine, according to the sheriff's department.

Slater fled into the canyon, but was tracked down by deputies. The child, who was found dead, was identified as his daughter. Her name and age have not been released.

Slater was arrested and transported to a local hospital. The sheriff's department announced he will be booked on suspicion of murder upon his release from the medical facility.

The wounded male sought medical treatment on his own, according to the sheriff's department.

SR-74 was temporarily closed in both directions from Highway 371 to the Palm Desert city limits during the investigation.