A baby found dead inside a car in Colorado Springs Wednesday evening died from acute blunt force trauma to the head, said Lt. Sal Fiorillo, a homicide investigator.
The mother, Tracie Preston, 36, was arrested for child abuse resulting in death.
The 8-month-old female’s body was found strapped in a carseat in the back of a green minivan in an apartment parking lot on East Pikes Peak Avenue.
“She had picked up a relative nearby, and told the relative she thought the baby was dead,” Fiorillo said. “(They) pulled into a parking lot nearby and the relative called the police.”
It appears the baby had been dead 8 to 12 hours before the police were called, Fiorillo said.
Preston’s 2-year-old female toddler was in the van at the time. She was unhurt and has been turned over to social services, he said.
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at jbentley@denverpost.com.
