WEST READING, Pa. – The parents of a one-day-old newborn baby are under arrest and facing homicide charges.

On Saturday, May 2, officers from West Reading Police Department were dispatched to Reading Hospital for a case of suspected child abuse.

Officers learned that earlier in the day, a seemingly healthy newborn baby was in medical distress inside a private patient recovery room in the hospital’s maternity ward.

The infant was later flown to the Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Dauphin County for advanced neo-natal care.

The child succumbed to his injuries the following day.

According to police, hospital medical personnel advised investigators that the infant’s injuries were consistent with physical abuse and were not a result of the birthing process.

On May 5, an autopsy was conducted and revealed that the victim had suffered a multitude of internal injuries.

The cause of death was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries and the child’s death was ruled a homicide.

28-year-old Kevin Canaan of Reading, the baby’s father, and 25-year-old Yeniffer Tavarez-Cepeda of New York City, mother of the newborn, are accused of causing the baby’s death. They’re charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Repeated wellness checks of the infant by medical personnel allowed investigators to conclude that the injuries were inflicted within a short, well documented timeframe.

A joint investigation conducted by the Berks County District Attorney’s Detectives and the West Reading Police Department revealed that at the time these injuries were inflicted, the infant was under the supervision of the two defendants inside a private room.

Additionally, the investigation determined that both defendants observed the infant to be in medical distress yet failed to alert any of the hospital staff.

Canaan and Tavarez-Cepeda were arrested Tuesday in Reading and are awaiting arraignment.