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Parents Arrested In Suspicious Death Of 4-Year-Old Palmdale Boy Noah Cuatro

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The parents of 4-year-old Palmdale boy Noah Cuatro who died in July under suspicious circumstances were arrested Thursday, officials confirmed.

Jose Cuatro and Ursula Juarez were arrested for the murder of their son, Noah, on September 26, 2019, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Dept. announced.

The two were booked at Palmdale Sheriff's Station and a search warrant was served at their residence in an attempt to recover any additional evidence related to Noah's murder.

Noah had been ordered by a court back in May to be removed from his parents' custody over concerns about abuse.

He was never removed from the home and placed in foster care and on the afternoon of July 5, Noah's parents called 911 to report that he was drowning in a pool at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of East Avenue S, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department reports.

Noah was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital. He died the following morning, on July 6.

Hospital staff found signs of trauma on Noah's body and determined there were issues with his parents' explanation for his cause of death.

Noah's three siblings had since been removed from the home and the sheriff's department launched an investigation.

DCFS had previously investigated several reports of abuse in Noah's home. Noah's maternal great-grandmother Eva Hernandez told CBSLA that he was in and out of foster care his entire life.

"DCFS has blood on its hands," said Hernandez's attorney Brian Claypool. "Even though we're talking today about the arrest  of his parents, we will be back some point in the future to hold that agency accountable for the death of this little boy."

In 2016, according to the Times, Noah was removed from the home and placed in foster care for two years. He was returned to his parents' custody in November 2018.

Hernandez said she often cared for her great-grandson.

"He begged me, 'grandma, let me stay, don't do this to me, don't send me back,'" Hernandez said.  "It's hard because I remember every word he used to tell me."

Noah's parents are being held on $1 million bail each and are due in court Monday, Sept. 30.

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