Father faces murder charge for overdose death of 5-month-old son, Las Vegas police say

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A father is facing a murder charge after the death of his 5-month-old son, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

Enrique Escobar was arrested Aug. 30 after the April death of his son, according to police records.

On April 7, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue was called about a 5-month-old juvenile that was not breathing, an arrest report said. LVFR said Escobar was taking car of his son and 2-year-old daughter at the time.

The boy was taken to Sunrise Hospital and medical personnel were unable to resuscitate him, LVMPD said.

The child’s mother told police that she works during day and Escobar is at home. The mom said she put the baby to bed around 9 p.m. April 6 and woke up to feed baby around 2 a.m. Escobar was still awake playing video games, the mother told police. She gave the baby another bottle around 5:45 a.m. and got ready for work. Escobar was still awake when she went to work, the report said.

The mother Facetimed Escobar, who was lying next to the baby in bed, around 9:30 a.m., according to an arrest report. She Facetimed Escobar again around 12 p.m. and Escobar reportedly told the mother the baby was sleeping, the report said.

Around 4 p.m., Escobar called mother and said the baby wasn’t breathing, the report said. The mother then called 911.

Escobar told police he was up all night playing video games and went to sleep after the mother went to work, the arrest report said.

Once mother left, Escobar told police he smoked two bowls of marijuana. Then the baby started crying, so Escobar gave him a bottle and laid him in bed on his stomach, the report said. The baby reportedly fell asleep around 12 p.m. Escobar noticed the baby wasn’t awake around 4 p.m. and was in the same position. Escobar told police he realized the baby wasn’t breathing, the report said.

Both parents said the child was healthy prior to his death, police said in the report.

According to the coroner’s toxicology report, a substance found in generic Benadryl was found in the baby’s system. Police said a bottle of the medication was found in the house, but it was out of reach and the baby couldn’t crawl. Both parents denied giving the baby the Benadryl, the arrest report said.

According to police, the medication found in the home is not prescribed to children before the age of 4.

The mother said she bought the Benadryl for Escobar for his allergies, the arrest report said. Escobar denied ever giving the baby the medication.

Escobar has not been granted bail, according to court records. His next hearing was scheduled for Sept. 6.

Copyright 2022 KVVU. All rights reserved.