LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A man was in custody today in connection with the death of his son, who was found unresponsive at a motel in the south Los Angeles area.
Shane Flowers, 23, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and booked on suspicion of child abuse resulting in death, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was being held on $100,000 bail, the sheriff's department reported.
Officers were sent to the 5600 block of South Western Avenue about 11:10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the LAPD, which revealed few details of the investigation.
ABC7 reported that 17-month-old Dee'ago Alexander Jones was found unconscious and not breathing at the Rosa Bell Motel. The toddler died at a hospital.
Following the death, authorities began looking for the boy's father as a person of interest in the investigation.
The boy's mother, Ryanna Jones, told Channel 7 she didn't know why Flowers “would run from this situation and just leave us there, and not come back.”
“He didn't even call to make sure her was even alive or OK,” Jones told the station. “I just want him put away. I want him to get caught.”
She said the family of three was living at the motel as part of a shelter program for homeless families with children. According to Jones, Flowers told her Tuesday morning their son wasn't breathing, contending that he had given the boy some medicine to help him sleep, then couldn't revive him.
She told ABC7 that Flowers tried to use cold water to wake the boy and tried CPR.
“He was a happy baby,” Jones told the station. “He didn't deserve any of this.”