Infant allegedly ‘shaken violently’ by parents dies, charges upgraded

The parents of a 7-week-old girl allegedly ‘shaken violently’ are now charged with a first-degree felony count of child abuse resulting in death, Las Cruces Police said.

In court documents obtained by ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom, the victim is identified as 7-week-old Mattie Minnick. Las Cruces Police said Tuesday Mattie died at University Medical Center of El Paso.

Caricia Lorena Ceballos, 19, of the 1900 block of Calle de Sueños, was originally charged with a first-degree felony count of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm. Ceballos was arrested Saturday. Police originally charged the infant’s father, 19-year-old Marcus Alton Minnick, with the same offense on January 17, 2018.

ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom spoke with New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez about the charges. “You cannot handle these cases with kid gloves. These are people who should be locked up for life. They should not be around other children,” the governor said, “They get frustrated and angry and shake a child, and that is blunt force trauma within the brain. I have no sympathy for those people that do that. There has to be – that life sentence must remain for those that are child abusers that result in death.”

Investigators interviewed Ceballos Friday, January 19, 2018 and learned she violently shook her daughter on January 5, 2018 after the infant refused to feed, police officials said.

Shortly after her daughter fell asleep, Ceballos allegedly pinched and poked her several times to see if she was still alive. Investigators learned Ceballos did not seek medical attention for her daughter.

Court documents further state Ceballos and Minnick both told investigators Ceballos “had once disclosed to someone else that she wanted to smother Mattie (the infant).” The document does not reveal who Ceballos was speaking with when she allegedly made the comment.

On January 16, 2018, Ceballos went to the store at about 3:30 pm and left the infant in the care of Minnick, the child’s biological father. Investigators learned that while in the care of her father, the young child began crying. Minnick removed her from a bassinet and shook her back and forth, police said.

Court documents state Minnick told police he realized what he was doing so he placed the baby back in the bassinet and walked to the kitchen to “cool off.” Minnick allegedly told police he was having work-related problems and that his knee hurt.

At some point, Minnick returned to the child and found her unresponsive. Minnick allegedly told investigators he tried to rouse his daughter without success and discovered she was not breathing. He allegedly indicated he began performing CPR but did not call 911 because he “wanted to fix it.” Sometime later, Ceballos returned home and called 911.

First responders performed CPR on the infant while she was taken to Memorial Medical Center, where the infant was revived before being transported to University Medical Center of El Paso.

Medical professionals at UMC informed investigators that the child was diagnosed with hemorrhaging in the brain, severe bilateral retinal hemorrhage in both eyes and global hypoxic brain injury.

Doctors told investigators the baby was malnourished. Medical professionals also learned the child allegedly had rib fractures that appeared to be two to three weeks old.

Minnick and Ceballos are being held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

The father had posted about the baby’s birth and following events on Facebook. See that information here.