Mother, boyfriend arrested in 4-year-old’s death in Merced County, deputies say

A man and woman have been arrested in connection with the death of a 4-year-old boy in Dos Palos, according to authorities.

In a brief statement issued Wednesday, deputies with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said they have arrested the child’s mother, Chanish Conrady, 22, and her boyfriend Steven Perez Jr., 27.

According to Merced County Jail records, Perez and Conrady were booked into jail Tuesday.

Emergency responders on Nov. 7 were called to a home on Ida Street in Dos Palos to help a child who was having seizures. The child was rushed by ambulance to Los Banos Memorial Hospital and where he died, deputies said in the statement.

Due to the age of the victim and the nature of the death, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau performed an autopsy and ruled the death a homicide, according to a news release.

Deputies did not immediately comment on the cause of death.

Deputy Daryl Allen confirmed Merced County Child Protective Services had been involved in previous cases regarding the same child prior to the Nov. 7 incident but said it was too early in the investigation to elaborate on those details. Merced County CPS also has been involved in the death investigation, Allen confirmed.

Merced County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation at the request of the Dos Palos Police Department.

After a two week investigation, Merced County Sheriff detectives arrested Conrady on suspicion of felony child endangerment. Her boyfriend Steven Perez Jr., was arrested on suspicion of murder, felony child endangerment and assault on a child resulting in great bodily injury, according to the news release.

Perez and Condray remained in custody Wednesday. Condray’s bail was listed at $100,000. Perez was being held on $1 million bail, according to jail records.

Both Conrady and Perez Jr. were booked into the Merced County Jail. Investigators ask that anyone with information regarding this incident contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau at 209-385-7472.

This story was originally published November 21, 2018 at 2:41 PM.