A Reading man and New York woman face criminal homicide charges after investigators say their day-old baby was fatally injured while the parents were alone with him Reading Hospital.
Kevin Canaan, 28, and Yeniffer Tavarez-Cepeda, 25, who also charged with aggravated assault and endangering welfare of children, were arrested Tuesday and committed to Berks County Jail without bail to await a hearing following arraignment before District Judge Carissa Johnson in Reading Central Court.
Berks County detectives filed the charges with West Reading police following an investigation.
According to investigators:
On May 2, West Reading police were dispatched to the hospital for a suspected child abuse case. That day, a seemingly healthy day-old infant was unexpectedly discovered to be in medical distress inside a private patient recovery room in the maternity ward.
The child was flown to Penn State Hershey Medical Center for advanced neonatal care.
The following day the child died of his injuries at Hershey. Medical personnel at that hospital told investigators that the injuries were consistent with physical abuse and were not a result of the birthing process.
On May 5, forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne K. Ross conducted an autopsy on the victim at the Dauphin County Forensic Center in Harrisburg and found that the victim had suffered a multitude of internal injuries. The infant was determined to have died of multiple traumatic injuries, and the death ruled a homicide.
A joint investigation conducted by Berks County detectives and West Reading Police Department revealed that at the time the injuries were inflicted, the infant was under the supervision of Canaan and Tavarez-Cepeda in the hospital room.
Based on the timing of wellness checks performed by medical personnel, investigators concluded the injuries were inflicted within a short, well-documented period. They determined that the defendants observed the infant to be in medical distress yet failed to alert hospital staff.
Based on the findings as well as interviews with the defendants and health care professionals, a criminal complaint was filed Tuesday against the pair. Arrest warrants were issued by Magisterial District Judge Steven M. Chieffo, and Canaan and Tavarez-Cepeda were taken into custody in Reading by members of the Berks County Sheriff’s Warrant Division, United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, West Reading police and Berks County detectives.