A Tucson man was arrested on suspicion of homicide, in connection with the March death of his 20-month-old nephew, authorities said.
Erick Henry, 23, was booked Tuesday night into the Pima County jail and is facing first degree homicide and two counts of child abuse, said Deputy Courtney Rodriguez, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.
Sheriff Chris Nanos described the incident as "a horrific case of child abuse."
The cause of death statement in the autopsy report was redacted by investigators. However, the findings of the autopsy were not.
"The child had blunt injuries to the torso with some rib fractures, and there was some blunt injuries to the head and the extremities, mainly bruises and scrapes of the skin," said Pima County Medical Examiner Dr. Gregory Hess on Wednesday.Β
Shortly before 3 a.m. on March 12, deputies responded to a residence near Three Points, and found paramedics performing lifesaving efforts on Adam Mada. The child was not able to be revived and was pronounced dead at the home, although the cause of death was unclear, Rodriguez said.
Homicide detectives began an investigation into Mada's death, and an autopsy ruled that the cause of death was homicide, Rodriguez said.
Because of additional forensic testing necessary to determine the cause of death, the results took longer than a typical autopsy, Rodriguez said.
Henry was the child's uncle by marriage. He was taken into custody in the area of South Camino Verde Road and West Nebraska Street with the help of the department's Fugitive Investigative Strike Team.
