ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The autopsy report for a four-year-old boy who was beaten to death has been released and it shows the abuse was not a one-time thing. James Dunklee was rushed to the hospital on December 10, 2019, after his mother’s roommate Zerrick Marquez claimed he tripped on the boy, and then the boy hit his head. Dunklee was pronounced dead a short time later.
We’ve reported that investigators found bruises and cuts all over the boy’s body along with a lacerated liver and pancreas. Bruising on the lungs, intestines and a large amount of blood in the abdomen and a skull fracture. A newly released autopsy report also shows the boy had three fractures on his jaw and chin which were already in a healing stage.
CYFD has documented previous allegations of abuse perpetrated by the defendant and there was a safety plan in place where James was not supposed to be cared for by Marquez but CYFD would not say what those allegations were. Marquez is scheduled to go to trial next year for child abuse resulting in death. The autopsy report shows the cause of death as blunt head and torso trauma and classified it as a homicide.
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