A 23-year-old woman was arrested early Thursday in connection with the death of a young boy found buried beneath the sand of a playground, according to police in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Police arrested Tiffany Toribio about 4 a.m., just hours after they said they wanted to speak to her about her son. Family members had contacted authorities, saying that her son matched the description of the boy found Friday at the playground and that they had not seen the boy since last week, police said. Authorities said it was not immediately clear whether the boy found at Alvarado Park was Toribio’s son. The discovery of the body shocked the community, which dubbed the boy “Baby Justice” and “Baby Angel” as they rallied around his case. According to CNN affiliate KRQE, Toribio was being held on an open count of murder and several charges of child abuse resulting in death. Police released a composite image of the boy Tuesday. They weren’t able to release a photo of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand’s heat. Police say the Native American or Hispanic boy was between 3 and 5 years old, 38 pounds, 38 inches in height, with brown eyes and dark quarter-inch hair. He was wearing Arizona brand clothing, size 3T: nylon black running pants with red stripes, a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black, gray and lime green Skechers sneakers. CNN affiliate KOAT reported Wednesday that the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator has been unable to determine the cause of death. Dr. Peter Loomis told the station that the boy’s body showed no signs of trauma, no scarring, no stab or bullet wounds, nothing that would indicate that he had a violent death. “We were certainly looking for any signs of injury, externally and then internally,” he told KOAT. Toribio did not comment Thursday morning as she was put in a police car.
