Westminster police have arrested a man on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death last month of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter.
Joseph Barela, 27, will be held at the Jefferson County jail. His arrest was announced Friday.
Police say they were called on Jan. 26 to the 5500 block of West 79th Avenue on reports the girl wasn’t breathing. She was taken to a hospital with significant injuries and was placed on life support.
The girl was removed from life support the next day and died, according to investigators. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office declined to released the child’s name.
“He was the little girl’s mother’s boyfriend,” Cheri Spottke, a Westminster police spokeswoman, said of Barela. “He was a caretaker to the little girl.”
Spottke said authorities believe the girl was injured while her mother was at work.
“Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation,” police said in a news release, “we will not be releasing any further details on this case at this time.”
