The parents of a five-week-old baby who was pronounced dead at Kaiser Richmond on Thursday as an apparent result of child abuse were arrested, police said.
The father, Ray Ray Darn, 35, and mother Marilyn Northington, 28, were arrested on suspicion of murder and child abuse causing great bodily injury.
Darn and Northington, who have two other small children, had been staying at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel at 3150 Garrity Way in Richmond, which is currently being used to house people struggling from homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, an employee at the Marriott called 911 to say a couple had rushed out of the hotel with their infant baby. The parents told the employee their child was not breathing and they were going to the hospital, police said.
At 6:55 p.m., police received a call from the hospital about a non-breathing 5-week-old infant who entered their emergency room and was pronounced deceased soon after.
Richmond police officers went to the hotel and hospital and learned the child had obvious signs of abuse, police said.
Detectives interviewed both parents and met with other witnesses who provided helpful information, police said. They also followed up on other investigative leads to assist in the investigation.
Darn and Northington were subsequently arrested, and their two other small children that were taken into protective custody and turned over to Child Family Services (CFS).
Police expect to present the case against the parents to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office early next week for review of criminal charges.
Anyone with information related to this incident are encouraged to contact Homicide
Det. Brian Hoffman at (510) 621-1755, email him at [email protected] or contact Richmond’s anonymous tip line at (510) 307-T1PS (8177).
