A yellow, red and purple tricycle dusted by snow in the backyard of a home in the 14000 block of East 50th Avenue is the only sign that a 3-year-old girl once lived there.
Now, yellow police tape tied to the home’s front door shocks the neighbors of this quiet Montbello neighborhood.
Denver police said a man identified as Alexis Rueben Ortiz, 31, was arrested Friday and is being held for investigation of first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend’s young daughter.
Police said they were summoned to the home about 1:40 a.m. Friday after a man called and said a child was not breathing. The girl later died at Children’s Hospital. The cause of death is under investigation.
Ortiz lived with the victim, her mother and several other children at the home.
Neighbors said Saturday that they didn’t know much about the victim or her family, which moved to the neighborhood about five months ago.
“I never saw the family because they were always inside and reclusive,” said Cesar Rodriguez, who lives across the street. “However, sometimes I did see the little girl playing outside and having fun with a younger child.”
Another neighbor, Chelsea Nepomuceno, 11, said she had seen the victim outside about three times since the family moved in. She said she never spoke to or played with the victim or any other child at the residence.
“She mostly played in the backyard with kids that I think were her cousins,” she said.
Nevertheless, there was grief Saturday. “It’s extremely sad that it happened,” said another neighbor, Jaqueela Estes.
Anna Haislip: 303-954-1638 or ahaislip@denverpost.com
