Austin Police Arrest Suspect In Toddler's Death From Severe Injuries To Abdomen [UPDATED]

UPDATE: Stephen Cortez, Jr., 27, the suspect in the death of a toddler earlier this week, has been arrested. Austin police confirmed the arrest during a news conference that began just after 2 p.m. at Austin Police Department headquarters. Cortez is accused of homicide in the death of a two-year-old girl hospitalized with traumatic injuries to her abdomen and face. Patch will update this developing story as more details emerge.

From earlier:

AUSTIN, TX -- An Austin man is accused of causing the death of a toddler after she was rushed to the hospital for treatment of a traumatic abdominal injury earlier this week.

Police were called to Dell Children's Medical Center just before 4 p.m. Oct. 18 after the 2-year-old girl, Juleanna Arevalo, was brought in for treatment at about 2:20 p.m. for the unexplained injury. The little girl was taken into the emergency room but pronounced dead some 20 minutes later.

The girl's mother, Sophia Arevalo, 22, and her boyfriend, Stephen Cortez, Jr., 27, told police the girl had fallen down a flight of stairs in a home in the 600 block of Denson Drive north of downtown Austin. Cortez said he attempted chest compression and the Heimlich maneuver in an attempt to revive her, police said.

Doctors, however, determined the child's injuries were inconsistent with a fall or attempted CPR. The child displayed numerous contusions around the abdomen, extremities and face, police said. An autopsy was conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office the next day, and the death was ruled homicide as a result of blunt force trauma of the abdomen.

Police issued an arrest warrant and charged Cortez with Injury to a Child, which is a first-degree felony. Upon his arrest, he is to be jailed under a bond of $300,000, police said on Thursday. No details related to possible charges against the child's mother were given.

Cortez has yet to be arrested, police said. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Those with knowledge of his whereabouts are strongly urged to notify police by calling the Homicide Tip Line at 512-477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or text "Tip 103" + your message to CRIMES.

Tips also can be submitted for free by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.

Austin police have scheduled a press conference at 2 p.m. at their headquarters to provide more details on the investigation. Patch will update as more details become available.

>>> Photo of Stephen Cortez, Jr., via Austin Police Department