Death Of 13-Month-Old Baby Leads To Murder Arrest: Santa Rosa PD

SANTA ROSA, CA — A 13-month-old baby boy died and a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder Saturday in what Santa Rosa police described as a "sad and tragic event."

"There were no signs of physical violence at the scene of the incident, but officers located signs of recent drug use next to where the child was discovered," Santa Rosa police Lt. Dan Marincik said in a news release.

Officers responded at 12:53 p.m. Saturday to a residence in the 200 block of Darek Drive after a woman went to the home to check on the residents and found the infant and man unresponsive, lying next to each other on the floor of a back bedroom, the lieutenant said.

The baby was not breathing and despite life-saving efforts by emergency medical personnel, the infant was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to police.

The man, identified by police as Patrick Oneill, was rushed unconscious to a hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, police said.

"... Oneill is being arrested for murder as a result of our ongoing investigation," Marincik said at about 7:30 p.m.

Police expect that once he is medically cleared from the hospital, Oneill will be booked into Sonoma County jail.

"We are still collecting information to help determine the exact cause of death, but based on our investigation, we believe that Oneill's actions caused the death of the 13-month-old child," Marincik said.

The child and Oneill were related, Marincik said Sunday in an emailed response to Patch.

"We have a few things to follow up on before we release the exact relationship," Marincik said.

Regarding the type of drugs authorities allegedly found next to the infant, Marincik said: "The narcotics are being tested so we are going to wait before we release what specifically we found."

Anyone with information pertinent to the investigation is encouraged to call SRPD's Violent Crimes Investigation Team at 707-543-3590.

"As we learn more information, we will provide additional updates to inform members of our community some of the details behind this sad and tragic event," Marincik said in the police department's initial statement about the death.