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Preliminary autopsy results Thursday determined the child whose decomposed body was found in a Raymond Avenue home Tuesday died from blunt-force trauma to the head with skull fractures, the Allen County coroner said.
The body, believed to be 18-month-old Braylon Bishop Gonzales, was discovered Tuesday after police received a tip of a possible child’s body in the house and responded to 3501 Raymond Ave.
A confirmation of the child’s identity will be made by DNA, Coroner E. Jon Brandenberger said.
John W. Gonzales, 38, believed to be the child’s father, was arrested on initial charges unrelated to the death investigation after a brief standoff at the home Tuesday. Police would not verify Thursday whether Gonzales was a suspect in the death investigation.
The three children living in the Raymond Avenue home – ages 5, 3 and 6 months – have been taken into custody by Child Protective Services, Fort Wayne police spokesman Roy Sutphin said.
TS Holdings, landlord of the Raymond Avenue property, has started eviction proceedings against Gonzales and his girlfriend for back rent and damages.
While searching the house Tuesday, police found the body wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a storage container. There were signs the body had been previously encased in concrete, Sutphin said.
The container was taken to the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center and the contents were found to be mummified remains of a young child, Brandenberger said.
Police think the death occurred up to two years ago in Port Huron, Mich., Sutphin said.
The autopsy was performed Thursday, with officials present from the Allen County Coroner’s Office, Fort Wayne Police Department, Port Huron Police Department and the St. Clair County, Mich., Medical Examiner’s office, Brandenberger said.
A time of death and a ruling on whether it’s a homicide have not been released. Brandenberger confirmed his office is working closely with Port Huron police on the investigation.
Capt. Don Porrett, spokesman for the Port Huron Police Department, said officials first have to determine whether a crime was committed in Port Huron before information on the investigation can be released from their department.
Two officers from Port Huron are in Fort Wayne leading the death investigation, Sutphin said
Port Huron police had not been working any missing child cases and first learned of the possible death of a child in their jurisdiction from Fort Wayne police, Porrett said.
“We had contact with (Gonzales) in the past, but nothing related to this investigation – nothing to indicate that this had occurred,” he said.
Fort Wayne police went to the Raymond Avenue home about 3 p.m. Tuesday to speak to Gonzales about another investigation, according to court documents filed Wednesday. Gonzales’ live-in girlfriend gave officers keys to the home and signed a consent form for detectives conducting the investigation to search the house.
When police arrived and received no answer, they unlocked the door, entered and announced themselves. Gonzales grabbed his 2-year-old daughter, fled into a back room and yelled, “I have a knife. I have a child. Back off,” according to court documents.
Gonzales repeatedly told police he had a knife, was holding the child and wanted officers to kill him, the documents said.
He quickly surrendered and was taken to police headquarters to be interviewed, Sutphin said.
Gonzales is initially charged with criminal recklessness, resisting law enforcement and neglect of a dependent in connection with Tuesday’s standoff, court documents said.
An initial battery charge was also filed Wednesday as a result of an October investigation, when the 5-year-old son of Gonzales’ girlfriend, who is not Gonzales’ biological son, told detectives Gonzales spanked him, kicked him and pushed him into a wall, causing a scratch on the boy’s head from an exposed nail, according to court documents.
Gonzales is being held in the Allen County Lockup without bail.
In Port Huron, Gonzales has a court record dating to 1994, when he pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
He has convictions in Michigan for driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license and cases relating to non-payment of rent, as well as disorderly conduct.
According to Allen County court records, Gonzales has convictions locally for check deception in 1996 and sexual misconduct with a minor in 1997.
No charges have been filed in relation to the death investigation.
Fort Wayne police are not releasing any additional information on the death investigation because it is a Port Huron police investigation, Sutphin said.
mhubartt@jg.net
