SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO (AP) -- The medical examiner says a Santa Fe-area boy's death resulted from blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. The Office of the Medical Investigator released results of an autopsy Tuesday into the death of 3-year-old Leland Valdez in January.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Authorities say it confirms the findings of Santa Fe County Sheriff's investigators and prosecutors who say the boy was beaten to death.
Authorities arrested the boy's mother, 22-year-old Tabetha Van Holtz, and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Steven Gallegos for child abuse resulting in death.
A defense attorney says all medical reports and evidence released so far have failed to disprove the claims the boy fell from a chair and hit his head before going into seizures.
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