Modesto Police Department Chief Galen Carroll said Christopher died of blunt-force trauma.
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The forensic pathologist says a 2-year-old’s fatal injury came from his head striking the tile floor, according to an arrest warrant obtained by CBS13.
Christopher’s mother, Amanda Crews, 38, was Martinez’s girlfriend and one of the people found dead Saturday at a home in a quiet subdivision, authorities confirmed. He said Martinez is the only suspect in those homicides.
Around 1 a.m. Sunday, police in San Jose, California, arrested Martinez in a shopping mall parking lot after he left a movie with his father, Carroll said. He has no visible criminal record in Santa Clara County, according to court records, and neighbors of the Lucerne Way home said Martinez was not a regular presence there.
Modesto police have not yet identified the victims – two women, and three girls age 6 and younger – or say how or when they died.
Martin Martinez, a suspect in the gruesome Modesto murders that resulted in five deaths, is also under suspicion in connection to the death of a 2-year-old.
Family members and friends said Crews experienced tragedy past year with the loss of her young son. Carroll said that Martinez said he had been wrestling with the boy. VIDEO: San Jose family shocked after man arrested for 5 Modesto murdersCrews’ workplace, Scenic Faculty Medical Group, issued a statement on Monday saying, “Dr. Crews was a beloved part of our care team”.
Martinez did not live at the home, police said.
In San Jose, police spokesman Albert Morales said officers found the large, luxury SUV on Lucerne Way, near Reid-Hillview Airport on the East Side.
Investigators have not released any information in regards to the manner of death or a possible motive, but Saturday’s deaths were not the first time Martinez’s name had been connected to a homicide investigation.
“My uncle didn’t know anything that had happened”, she said. “Whoever did this. We don’t know yet.”, she said.
“He loved playing with his building blocks, his toy trains, and loved reading his favorite books “Good Night Moon” and ‘Hungry Caterpillar, ‘ ” the obituary said.
“The Modesto police did not drop the ball”, Carroll said, adding that the investigation into Christopher’s death took nine months because the department had to hire an outside pathologist who specializes in neurology.
Heather Graves of the Modesto Police Department told local ABC News affiliate ABC10 that police had arrived at the home around 3:30 p.m. after a family member called them Saturday afternoon.
Carroll declined to divulge the cause of deaths Saturday.
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The killings hit close to home for many, including Ashley Whatley, a patient of Crews, who Whatley said was by many accounts a respected physician in the community.
