A Tucson woman and her boyfriend have been arrested on suspicion of first degree murder and child abuse in connection with the death of her 3-month-old.
Amanda Altagracia Durain, 31 and her boyfriend, Hunter Lee Poppe, 24, appeared in Pima County Superior Court Thursday. The bond for each was at $1 million.
On Jan. 24, Durain called 911 to report the infant was unresponsive and having trouble breathing. Poppe was performing CPR, and the baby was taken to the hospital. The baby died Jan. 29 from a brain injury, though court records say “a full skeletal survey and found a variety of fractures.”
An autopsy found the baby died of blunt force injuries and ruled it a homicide. The autopsy results were not released to investigators until late May, police said.
Durain told investigators the baby woke up about 5 p.m., and they walked with her around the room and played. Durain said the baby fell a few inches as she was being put into her bassinet. The baby fussed a bit and eventually fell asleep, court documents say.
Durain said she and Poppe were outside smoking when they heard the baby squeal. She was unresponsive, and they called for help.
Poppe, who police say is not the baby’s biological father, said the baby woke up about 6:30 p.m. and was restless. The couple thought she had gas and spent about 30 minutes doing exercises to relieve her pain. At one point, they left the baby on the bed and went outside to smoke a cigarette, Poppe told police. They heard the baby cry, went inside and the baby quickly tensed up her arms, went pale and began shallow breathing just before they called 911.
Neither could explain the baby’s injuries.
