Couple arrested for allegedly killing baby weeks after social services returned her

Elizabeth Ucman, 22, and Brandon Copeland, 21, were arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count of first-degree murder following the death of their baby Delilah, NBC San Diego reported. She was three-months old.

According to the local TV station, police responded to a 911 call concerning an unresponsive infant in the Colina Del Sol neighbourhood in northeastern San Diego at around 11.15pm on Wednesday.

When they found the child was not breathing, they performed CPR. Emergency Medical Services staff arrived shortly after and tried to save the child as they took her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the case was transferred from the San Diego Police Department’s child abuse unit to its homicide unit following the pronouncement of the infant’s death.

“We will not be making any further comments or providing additional information at this time,” San Diego police homicide Lieutenant Andra Brown said in a press release.

Ms Ucman’s grandmother, Adrienne Arnett, the great-grandmother of the baby, told NBC San Diego that the child was abused before she died.

“The baby was seriously injured, and how do you injure infant babies? They just lie there. You cuddle them. So, the baby obviously had pretty serious injuries,” she said. “God only knows what that baby suffered between the time they got their hands on her till the time that baby died.”

Ms Arnett added that social services transferred the custody of Delilah to Ms Ucman’s aunt as they didn’t think the young couple and their apartment were suitable to care for a baby.

Social services gave the custody back to the parents after they had cleaned up their home, despite receiving warnings from relatives that the couple, and specifically Mr Copeland, posed a danger to Delilah, according to Ms Arnett.

“Social services was told by every member of the family that she was dangerous. We knew the boy was dangerous,” she told NBC San Diego.

One of the couple’s neighbours, Sabrina Camacho, told the outlet that she hadn’t known that the couple had had a child – she had never heard the infant cry or scream. But she added that she often heard Ms Ucman and Mr Copeland arguing.

“I know they’ve had domestic disputes in the past. At least you could hear it. Yelling at each other,” Ms Camacho told the TV station.

Ms Ucman is being held without bond at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, while Mr Copelond is also being held without bond at the San Diego Central Jail.