Glendale police arrest man for 2016 death of child

GLENDALE, Ariz. (FOX 10) - Glendale police say they've arrested a man in connection to the death of an 18-month-old toddler.

According to the Glendale Police Department, 24-year-old Austin Parker was arrested on May 16 and charged in connection to the death of the child, which happened on September 4, 2016. Then 21-year-old Park was home alone caring for his daughter while his girlfriend was at work. He called 911 and she was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead. Doctors who treated the girl noticed signs of physical and sexual abuse.

Glendale Police questioned Parker about bruises on the girl's head and abdomen - court records show Parker told them they were accidental. He said he squeezed the girl's waist in anger and accidentally leaned against her with his elbow. Police served a search warrant at Parker's apartment and collected a sexual assault kit from the father.

Two years would pass without an arrest, then the case went to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office Cold Case Unit. A pediatric trauma surgeon was brought on to review the case which eventually led to the father's arrest.

The surgeon reported the girl had internal bleeding from a cut in her liver caused by severe force. The girl's body then when into shock. By the time emergency crews got to her, she was already dead. According to the pediatric expert, had her father called for help earlier, the little girl could've survived the abuse.

Parker is being held on a $1,000,000 cash only bond.