NM Man May Flee to Mexico After Fracturing Toddler’s Skull, Say Police

New Mexico State Police investigators are searching for a man accused of injuring his child so badly that he is not expected to live. Police believe the man may be attempting to flee to Mexico to avoid prosecution.

Richard A. Soto called 911 in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico, on Thursday to report that his child was unconscious and having seizures. Emergency medical officials transported the man’s son to the Lincoln County Medical Center in Ruidoso, New Mexico for treatment and evaluation, KFox14 reported.

Doctors at the hospital stabilized the child and then transferred him to University Hospital in El Paso, Texas. There, doctors learned the child suffered extensive brain damage from a skull fracture.

Breitbart Texas spoke with an official with the Ruidoso Downs Police Department on Saturday morning. They said that Soso is a U.S. citizen but they believe he may be headed to family in Juárez, part of the greater El Paso-Juárez metropolitan border area. The official said that investigators with the New Mexico State Police have taken over the investigation.

State Police investigators told Ruidoso News that Soto’s two-year-old son may be so badly injured that he will not likely survive.

The doctors told police the injuries are not accidental and are consistent with physical abuse.

Soto allegedly fled police officers in El Paso in an attempt to avoid answering questions, the local Fox affiliate reported. Officials issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm and evading an officer.

Police described Soto as a 33-year-old Hispanic male. He is reported to be five feet eight inches tall and is said to weigh about 140 pounds. He has short brown hair and brown eyes.

He reportedly has ties to Juárez and may attempt to cross the border to avoid arrest.