Toddler's injuries consistent with 2-story fall, dad charged

Inset: Francisco Ortiz appearing in court on Wednesday (WFXT). Background: The building where Ortiz lived with the victim (WBTS).

A 34-year-old father in Massachusetts is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly killing his 4-year-old daughter, beating her to death so badly that medical experts said the damage to her skull appeared to have come from a two-story fall.

Francisco Ortiz was taken into custody last week and charged with assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, permitting substantial injury to a child, assault and battery, two counts of permitting injury to a child, and reckless endangerment of a child, records show.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Worcester Police Department at about 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 responded to Ortiz’s home in regards to a report of a 4-year-old child who had “fallen on the floor and was unresponsive.” Upon arriving at the scene, police said first responders were permitted into the home by Ortiz, who was the only adult present at the time.

Ortiz allegedly told police that the victim “had fallen off a kitchen table.” Authorities located the victim, who was still unresponsive, and began lifesaving measures until paramedics could transport her to UMass Hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, the child succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the facility.

Police and hospital staff said the victim was covered with “visible bruises on various locations” on her body. Asked about the bruises, Ortiz allegedly said they were the result of the victim “falling off the table on several occasions in the past,” adding that she “utilized a chair to gain access to the table.”

Two other children, ages 2 and 6, also in the home with Ortiz, showed signs of physical abuse, per the affidavit.

“Two other known and identified victims were also at the address with Ortiz,” the document states. “Both victims were observed by police and hospital staff to have visible multiple bruises on various locations on their body and appeared to be malnourished/dehydrated. Ortiz told police that he had sole custody and care of all three victims during the day, today, and is the full time care giver.”

Ortiz appeared in court Wednesday where a judge deemed him a likely danger if released on bond, ordering him to be held for 120 days. During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Courtney Sans revealed disturbing details about the child’s death, Boston Fox affiliate WFXT reported.

Speaking about the first officers on the scene, Sans said they made several observations about the victim, including “that she had just a shirt on, was otherwise naked from the waist down, and appeared to have feces covering parts of her body,” Sans said, adding that the child also had “some bleeding from her mouth and lips.”

Sans reportedly also provided additional details about the severity of the injuries suffered by the victim.

“The child’s bruises were significant injuries, including her left eye, her left and right earlobe, both sides of her neck and chin, her left and right arms, across her upper chest, her abdomen, both hips, her knees, her lower legs, her feet, as well as abrasions on her back,” Sans reportedly said. “The force required for that type of skull fracture would not have been associated with a fall of approximately five feet from a table in the home but would have been akin to a fall from a higher level.”

The prosecutor explained that an autopsy determined the victim’s skull injuries were consistent with a two-story fall, Telegram & Gazette reported.

Ortiz pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 20, 2024.

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Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law.