This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 2-year-old girl who was taken to the hospital Tuesday in extremely critical condition was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Salt Lake City police reported.
The man suspected of beating the girl has been arrested and jailed.
Police were told the girl was not breathing as they reached an apartment in the area of 1800 South and McClelland Street (1045 East) about 12:25 p.m. on Tuesday.
A doctor at the hospital told police the girl appeared to have been struck multiple times on the stomach and head, according to Salt Lake County jail booking documents. Another doctor said the girl "appears brain dead and is not expected to survive," the jail documents state.
Police arrested 32-year-old Juan Pablo Rivera-Aguilar on suspicion of child abuse and violence in the presence of a child. It is now likely that investigators will request that Salt Lake County prosecutors file homicide charges against the man.
The girl's 4-year-old brother, who was also at the home, said Rivera-Aguilar had hit the girl five times in the stomach and five times in the head area, booking documents state. Police said the boy also was assaulted, including having his hair pulled.
Rivera-Aguilar allegedly admitted to punching the girl in the stomach during an interview with police. During a search of the apartment, police found clumps of hair.
According to booking documents, Rivera-Aguilar was baby-sitting the toddler.
Police said he is the boyfriend of the mother of the two children.
Court records show Rivera-Aguilar has a 2004 conviction for class B misdemeanor attempted violation of condition of release after an arrest for domestic violence, and a 2006 conviction for reckless driving, an infraction.