Infant Death In Fort Worth Ruled Homicide: Report

FORT WORTH, TX — The February death of a 1-year-old boy in Fort Worth was ruled a homicide, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday. The toddler died two days after being hospitalized for unusual symptoms.

The boy, Jaylen Ledesma, died from homicidal violence, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled. His cause of death was blunt force injury of the head, the Star-Telegram wrote.

A witness told KXAS he saw a man throw the child down the stairs outside of a mobile home before hitting him in the head.

Joseph Carder Rodriguez, the boy's father, was arrested on March 4 by Fort Worth police for an outstanding warrant out of Lubbock, the Star-Telegram reported.

It was not immediately clear if Rodriguez will face additional charges.

"No mom deserves to go through something like this," Jayden's aunt, Juana Zavala, told KXAS. "I want them to know he was loving and had a big heart, and this family loved him like their own. Everyone loved him."

An investigation into the death is ongoing.

Anyone concerned about potential child abuse can call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. Emergency or life-threatening situations of child abuse should be reported to 9-1-1 immediately.

Common symptoms of physical child abuse include unexplained pain, bruising, cuts, aggressive behavior, passive or withdrawn personality, unreasonable clothing that hides arms and legs and much more.

Visit the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for a full list of signs of abuse and more information on domestic violence.

Image via Renee Schiavone, Patch staff