Brazilian news outlet G1 reports that Joel Rodrigo Avalo Santos has been arrested for the suspected beating death of his son.
Avalo Santos is a lightweight MMA fighter with a record of 12-4.
Both Santos and his wife were taken into custody. His wife is the child’s stepmother. The child had been living with them 9 das leading up to his death.
Report indicates that the fatal injuries seem to have been caused by a blow to the back, resulting in broken ribs and a lacerated liver.
Medics were called to the home in response to a report that the child was choking.
The child’s biological mother told reporters that she has a restraining order against the two, on account of other previous cases of aggression.
Police chief Marcelo Damaceno said both suspects spent the night at the station, and that they denied any accusations of wrongdoing, saying that the baby died of natural causes.
“The father and the stepmother spent the night here in the police station and will remain arrested for the crime of mistreatment, which is qualified by the baby’s death. In their testimony, they denied it and claimed the child died of natural causes. However, an autopsy showed clear signs of of aggression.”
