Vancouver man charged with murder in death of infant daughter

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Vancouver man is facing murder and manslaughter charges following the death of his infant daughter.

Elijah Partida is accused of causing severe brain injuries to his 3-month-old daughter, resulting in her death on August 11. According to court documents, Partida was watching the baby on August 5 while the mother was at work. Later in the morning, the mother video called to check in when Partida showed her the infant had become unresponsive. The mother quickly called medical personnel while telling Partida to begin CPR.

Although she was initially taken to the PeaceHealth Southwest Washington Medical Center, the baby girl was quickly sent to Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital via Life Flight — when it was discovered she was suffering from severe injuries.

According to a child abuse pediatric specialist at Doernbecher’s, the baby had sustained fractures to four of her lower ribs that were in the process of healing. She also suffered from acute head trauma, which led to brain bleeding. Court documents say the parents gave no explanation of any situation that would have led to those types of injuries. According to the doctors, these types of injuries are seen in high-velocity car crashes.

The doctor said the 3-month-old was at a “neurological deficit” with little brain activity. Symptoms from that type of injury, the doctor said, would have been immediately noticeable. However, the mother of the child told officers that there was no sign of any such symptoms when she left for work that morning.

Six days later, the baby died. She was taken off life-support once doctors gave her a “brain death diagnosis,” court documents say.

Partida told authorities he did not know how these injuries came about — however, he claimed the baby was fussy and had a seizure shortly before the mother called that morning. The 22-year-old man denied causing the injuries.

Partida was arrested on a warrant and pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter — charges that were upgraded from an initial first-degree assault charge. With the new charges, his bail was increased from $300,000 to $500,000.

His trial is scheduled for October 19. KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.