A 27-year-old Virginia man has been arrested in connection with the murder of his 3-week-old daughter, Prince George's County police said Tuesday.
Police said Kendra Hernandez was found unresponsive in a home on the 6800 block of Patterson Street in Riverdale at 12:50 p.m. Saturday. She was transported to the hospital but died the next day.
Hernandez suffered lacerations to the liver and spleen, retinal hemorrhaging and broken ribs, charging documents stated.
An autopsy determined Hernandez's cause of death was blunt force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Police said her father, Nestor Hernandez, had sole custody of her when she sustained the injuries that led to her death.
According to charging documents, Nestor Hernandez told police that Kendra Hernandez fell asleep on his chest on April 6. He said he also fell asleep but woke up when he felt the infant rolling off his chest.
He told police he tried to catch her before she hit the floor, but he fell and landed on her. A short time later, he noticed bruising on her abdomen.
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Two days later, the infant's mother left the child in Nestor Hernandez's care again, charging documents stated. While she was out, the mother said she received a call from Nestor Hernandez, saying that the baby appeared to be ill.
When the woman returned home, she found Kendra Hernandez unresponsive in her crib and called 911.
The autopsy also indicated that the baby suffered the injuries that caused her death within two or three hours of the 911 call, charging documents said.
Nestor Hernandez was charged with involuntary manslaughter, child abuse and other related offenses.
