A mother has been arrested on suspicion of murder after her 5-year-old son was found dead from injuries apparently caused by a sharp instrument in San Bernardino on Tuesday, police said.
Police assistance was requested from someone within a home in the 1000 block of West Temple Street around 4:10 p.m., San Bernardino Police Department Chief Jarrod Burguan said.
A small child, identified as a 5-year-old boy, was found dead at the scene. Police said he appeared to have sustained injuries caused by a sharp instrument.
The boy’s mother, 46-year-old Maria Isabel Bautista De Lopez, was located in the same bedroom as the boy, police spokeswoman Eileen Hards said.
The woman had suffered injuries that appeared to be self-inflicted, and she was hospitalized and expected to survive.
She was later arrested on suspicion of murder, according to a Police Department news release.
Neighbors said they were surprised by the incident, and that the family kept to themselves and were not known to argue.
“Everybody get along. We see everybody every day and it’s real quiet, so it was a shock today,” neighbor Kirk Jones said.
Lopez had moved in with her boyfriend, a longtime resident of West Temple Street, a few years ago, according to neighbors.
The boyfriend and his father, who lived in a back house, were both taken in for questioning, the neighbors said.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Detective Marco Granado at 909-384-5628 or Sgt. Emil Kokesh at 909-384-5613.
