In Mesa, Arizona, a 4-week-old baby girl died in late July 2025 after suffering severe injuries that police say were inflicted by her father, 22-year-old Jonathan Enriquez.

The Mesa Police Department responded to an emergency call just before 9 a.m. on July 11, 2025, after receiving reports that a newborn was not breathing at an apartment complex on Covina Street, claiming “that the baby choked while being fed a bottle,” police said.

However, upon arrival, officers said “they were handed a four-week-old baby girl who was unresponsive,” and immediately rushed her to a hospital in critical condition.

At the scene, investigators were told conflicting accounts by both parents about what had happened. Both reportedly said the baby had fallen off a bed, which contradicted the initial claim that she had choked while being fed from a bottle. Later, Enriquez allegedly stated that he had been “quite forceful” during a diaper change because the baby was fussy and suggested she may have hit herself in the face. He denied striking her directly at that time.

Enriquez later claimed that the baby had allegedly falling out of a car seat into a stroller and had been struck by a seatbelt buckle, which he said explained the bruising around her eyes. Investigators, however, considered these explanations inconsistent with the severity and pattern of injuries observed by medical personnel.

Meanwhile, investigators said Enriquez was alone with his daughter at the time “when she stopped breathing.” It was also reported that he texted the baby’s mother, who had left for work that morning, telling her to come home immediately because he had “messed up” and the baby was not breathing.

At the hospital, doctors documented catastrophic injuries not easily explained by accidental causes. The baby had a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, broken ribs and a broken leg, and bruising around her eyes, which doctors said were consistent with “slamming, crushing, or stomping,” suggesting force far beyond what could occur during normal care.

The baby, however, remained in the hospital receiving critical care for 15 days, but her condition did not improve. She eventually died on July 26, 2025.

In light of the autopsy results, Enriquez was interviewed again by police. This time, he allegedly admitted to striking the baby on the left side of her head while she lay in her bassinet, claiming he had done this because she had been “crying too much.” He also acknowledged that he had at times swaddled her very tightly in an attempt to calm her, according to AZ Family. Court documents describe him as acknowledging “deep remorse” for what happened.

Following this admission, the medical findings, and the death of the baby, Enriquez was arrested by Mesa Police and charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. He is held in the Maricopa County Jail with a $1 million bond.