'These Cases Have An Emotional Impact On Everyone Involved;' Turlock Police Arrest Father For Infant Homicide

TURLOCK (CBS13) -- An investigation into the death of an infant in Turlock led to the arrest of the father for child abuse and murder charges, authorities said Friday.

On Wednesday, officers responded to Emmanuel Medical Center in regards to a call about an infant death and suspected child abuse, the Turlock Police Department said.

During their initial interviews, detectives learned that Joseph Anthony Rendon, a 23-year-old Turlock resident and father of the deceased infant had brought his two-month-old daughter to the hospital after she stopped breathing in his home.

Despite life-saving measures being performed at the hospital, the infant was unable to be revived and was pronounced deceased.

Initially, hospital staff could not explain the child's death.

However, an autopsy that was performed on Thursday revealed that the infant had sustained serious injuries which pointed to severe child abuse.

Within hours, detectives obtained and served search warrants for Rendon's home. Detectives were able to contact Rendon and he agreed to come into the Turlock Police Department for a follow-up interview.

After the interview, Rendon was arrested and booked at Stanislaus County Jail on murder and child abuse charges.

"This is devastating and difficult to understand why this happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with [the] child's family during this difficult time," said Chief Jason Hedden. "These cases have an emotional impact on our officers and everyone involved in these types of investigations. We can only pray that the arrest of Joseph Rendon brings some sense of healing to the family and community."