A 27-year-old Monroe man was arrested in connection with the death of a 2-year-old girl who investigators say suffered fatal head trauma while in his care last year.
Members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force arrested the man around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, at a motel on Old Owen Road, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder of a child and second-degree assault of a child, according to the sheriff’s office. He is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
The investigation began Dec. 1, 2025, when deputies responded to a home in the 300 block of Avenue J in Snohomish after a 2-year-old girl was found unresponsive.
Fire personnel performed CPR before the child was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center. She was later transferred to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she died Dec. 7.
Hospital staff told detectives the girl’s injuries were consistent with non-accidental head trauma, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators determined the girl and a 5-year-old boy were alone with the suspect when the girl was injured, police said. The man was dating the children’s mother at the time but was not related to either child.
The suspect told investigators the girl fell in a bathroom and injured her head, but detectives said her injuries were not consistent with a fall.
Investigators also allege the 5-year-old boy suffered injuries to his neck and arm caused by the suspect.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the 2-year-old died from blunt force head trauma and ruled her death a homicide.
The investigation remains active.
