A 4-year-old boy died of a “massive amount of trauma” in a Broomfield homicide Thursday morning, and police have arrested a 25-year-old relative in connection with the killing.
Emanuel Joseph Doll is being held on suspicion of felony homicide. Broomfield police did not make public how he was related to the slain boy, saying their relationship was still under investigation.
“This is a very sad and tragic event,” said an emotional Joleen Reefe, spokeswoman for the Broomfield Police Department. “This is a very difficult situation for everyone.”
First responders were dispatched to a home on the 4200 block of West 136th Avenue at about 9:30 a.m. in response to a 911 hangup call and a request for medical assistance.
A police officer was first to arrive at the scene.
“When he entered the house, he discovered a young child that had suffered a massive amount of trauma,” Reefe said. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The child’s name has not been released.
Reefe said several people inside the home where the killing happened, as well as a few neighbors, were witnesses. She declined to say exactly how the boy died, explaining that his cause and manner of death will be determined by the Broomfield County Coroner’s Office.
“We have initiated a very extensive investigation,” Reefe said, adding that police are offering emotional support to the boy’s family as well as to the first responders to the scene.
Police believe there is no danger to the community, but closed streets in the area during their investigation.
