Investigators say Kyle David Benitez, 22, purposely wrapped his 3-month-old daughter in a heavy blanket "and positioned her in a way to get her to stop crying."
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Investigators were called to the Riverside home in December 2021 on a report of a baby found not breathing in her crib. Paramedics pronounced the infant girl dead at the scene.
The coroner's office later concluded the child had died by suffocation, ruling it a homicide.
Riverside police arrested Benitez on Friday and booked him into jail for murder, assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury, domestic violence and willful harm to a child.
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He is being held on $1 million bail.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Janet Ramos at (951)826-8716 orJRamos@RiversideCA.gov. Those wishing to remain anonymous can email RPDTips@RiversideCA.gov, or send a message via the Riverside Police Department's Atlas 1 mobile app.