AURORA | A second person has been arrested in connection with what police say is the apparent beating death of a 4-year-old Aurora boy, police said Thursday.
Destini Rose Lipsky, 23, of Aurora, was arrested in Colorado Springs and faces charges of child abuse resulting in death, police spokesperson police Agent Kristopher McDowell said in a statement Friday.
Investigators said Lipsky is the slain boy’s mother.
Lipsky was booked into the El Paso County jail and is being held on a $500,000 bond and is awaiting transfer to Arapahoe County, police said.
The arrest comes days after police arrested Alexander Martinez-Armstrong, 24, who faces a first-degree murder charge in the boy’s death, according to court and jail records.
Martinez-Armstrong is being held in the Arapahoe County jail without bond, records show. His next court date is scheduled for July 17.
Police and Aurora Fire Rescue crews responded about 10 p.m. Saturday to an apartment in the 14100 block of East Tennessee Avenue after receiving a report of a child who was unconscious and not breathing.
“When officers arrived at the scene, Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics were performing life-saving actions on the boy,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in an earlier statement.
Officers found the child had significant injuries, police said. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Investigators said Martinez-Armstrong, who was caring for the child at the time, admitted to repeatedly striking the boy before his death, McDowell said.
Police said additional interviews and evidence collected during the investigation led detectives to seek an arrest warrant for Lipsky.
Aurora Major Crime Homicide Unit detectives, assisted by Aurora and Colorado Springs fugitive teams, arrested Lipsky Thursday.
The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office will determine the child’s cause of death.
Anyone with information about Lipsky and her interactions with the child is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.