The mysterious death of a 2-year-old Velarde child has been ruled a homicide by medical investigators after they discovered cocaine, alcohol, caffeine and a cocktail of medicines in the child’s stomach and liver, according to an autopsy report.
Dion Martinez was sick with diarrhea and vomiting for two days before he was found unresponsive May 8, the report states. Teething medicine, a children’s pain reliever and cold medicine were all found at the scene, and a toxicology screen showed the presence of similar compounds in the child’s body.
According to the autopsy, Martinez died of multiple drug and alcohol toxicity, with no evidence of significant natural disease or traumatic injuries.
The child’s parents, Joe Martinez, 26, and Rose Garcia, 26, could not be reached for comment.
According to a Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s report, Martinez and Garcia both broke down and expressed disbelief when informed that cocaine had shown up on the toxicology screen. Martinez claimed a woman had given Dion his homeopathic teething pellets, “and maybe they had cocaine on them,” the report states.
The report states that according to medical investigators, the child likely died a few hours before he was brought to the hospital. Garcia told police she had left Dion with his father that morning while she took their older child to school. Martinez initially said he had gone to work, though he gave conflicting accounts of when he left, before eventually admitting that he went to the Lyden bridge, smoked marijuana and took his methadone, the report states.
Former Sheriff’s Deputy Freddie Trujillo said the state Children, Youth and Family Department is investigating the couple in regards to the couple’s 11-year-old son. Trujillo forwarded the former case to state prosecutors.
Assistant District Attorney A.J. Salazar said a case file is being opened and will most likely be assigned to the child-abuse division. Under state law, negligent child abuse resulting in death is a first-degree felony.