Police in California have arrested a 24-year-old woman whose 15-month-old son died this week after being hit with a frying pan.
Carmen Anita DeGregg is being held on suspicion of murder for her alleged role in the murder of the unidentified boy.
Statement from the Santa Monica Police Department does not name DeGregg, but according to arrest records reviewed by Us Weeklyhe was the only person charged with murder on Tuesday, January 6, the day of his arrest.
She was also charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of her arrest.
According to police, DeGregg was seen walking around the Santa Monica campus of the University of California, Los Angeles shortly before noon on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and was stopped by UCLA police.
Campus cops arrested DeGregg, alleging it was because she allegedly made alarming statements indicating she had left her injured baby inside her nearby apartment.
Police who left the apartment found the girl suffering from “significant injuries” she sustained when her mother allegedly attacked her with the frying pan.
KABC, My LA newsi Fox 11 they also identified DeGregg and noted that the wounds were caused by a frying pan. Us Weekly could not independently verify this detail.
“Santa Monica Fire Department personnel responded and transported the infant to an area hospital, where the infant was later pronounced dead,” according to the news release.
A neighbor told Fox 11 they had heard “screaming” over the weekend, but didn’t know if that was when the assault happened.
“It’s pretty bad,” neighbor Fred Moynier told Fox 11, telling the news station he saw first responders carrying the boy outside on a stretcher. He added that they performed chest compressions while trying to save the child.
“Why would a mother do that?” Moynier asked. Another neighbor, Sarah Coughlan, also wondered what kind of person could kill her own son.
“I can’t understand why anyone would be in that frame of mind to do something like that,” Coughlan said, speaking to the station. “It’s a little scary. Very disturbing.”
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Fox 11 reported that the boy’s father was also questioned by police, but is not facing criminal charges. Neighbors told the station that the man appeared very distraught and emotional as he spoke to officers at the scene.
A spokesperson for the Santa Monica Police Department said Thursday, Jan. 8, that they could not provide further information about the alleged crime, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
The Santa Monica police statement confirmed that the baby’s “cause and manner of death” will be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner at a later date.
DeGregg is being held on $2 million bail and had not appeared before a judge as of press time. His appearance was scheduled for January 8.
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