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Marlon Adilson Melendez, 30, is facing life in prison, plus 65 years when he is sentenced in June in conection to the death of the boy in Silver Spring.
The case began on March 11, 2023, when the child’s mother called 911, reporting that her son was not breathing after they had fallen asleep, police said. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital, and an autopsy revealed signs of child abuse, investigators said.
While interviewing the boy's mother, she advised investigators from the Montgomery County Department of police that the boy had not been feeling well, and when she woke up that morning to check on him, she found the toddler not breathing, prompting the emergency 911 call.
He was taken to an area hospital and later pronounced dead.
The boy’s body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy determined that there were signs of child abuse before his death. Further investigation found that Melendez, the mother’s boyfriend, allegedly abused the child, causing serious injuries.
Detectives uncovered a disturbing history of abuse, including a previously fractured femur.
Surveillance footage from March 9, 2023, at a Silver Spring restaurant on Piney Branch Road showed Melendez yanking the toddler’s hair, scratching his temple, and rubbing lemon juice into his eye, officials said.
Marlon Adilson Melendez with the lemon.
The child cried in distress every time Melendez touched him, according to prosecutors.
“This is an outrageously sad case involving the loss of a one-year-old baby,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said. “We express our deepest condolences to the victim’s family.”
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