A California mother and her boyfriend were recently charged for her 4-year-old son’s death—leading relatives to allege there were signs of abuse that were missed before the child’s slaying.
Per the Merced Sun-Star, Chanish Conrady, 22, and her boyfriend Steven Perez Jr., 27, were arrested weeks after emergency crews arrived at their home following reports of a child having a seizure. The child, Kyis Conrady, was rushed to the hospital but he died from his injuries.
An autopsy led the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau to deem Kyis’ November 7 death a homicide. Police announced Wednesday that Chanish was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment while Perez is facing multiple charges, including murder, felony child endangerment, and assault on a child resulting in great bodily injury.
In light of Kyis’ death, Chad Meza said he regretted overlooking crucial signs which he believed could’ve saved his great-grandnephew. KFSN reported that Meza would transport the 4-year-old between his mother and father.
“He would cry, please don’t take me, it’s like taking a toy from a kid, he’d throw a fit. That’s what it came down to,” Meza recalled, referring to how Kyis would behave before he would drop him off at his mother’s home.
He added, “I think I ignored a lot of the signs because I’m not a professional on that.”
Citing police, the Sun-Star also reported that Merced County Child Protective Services were in contact with the family prior to the November 7 incident. While details regarding their prior involvement are scarce, police confirmed the agency is involved in the murder investigation.
Chanish is being held on $100,000 bail while Perez remains jailed on $1 million bail.
[Featured Image: Kyis Conrady/Facebook]
