In the early morning hours of October 8, 2016, a tragedy unfolded in a southwest Las Vegas apartment that would cut short a young life. Izayah Pelaez-Daniel, a 5-month-old Asian/Pacific Islander baby boy, was found unresponsive. Emergency services were called to the residence on the 9000 block of Tropicana Avenue, and the infant was rushed to Summerlin Hospital Medical Center.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, Izayah was pronounced dead.
An investigation into the circumstances of his death was immediately launched by the Metropolitan Police Department. The Clark County coroner's office later determined the cause of death to be blunt force head trauma. This finding led to the ruling that Izayah's death was a homicide, indicating he had died as a result of an abusive act. The case was then turned over to the Clark County District Attorney's Office for review and to determine if charges would be filed.
Prior to the infant's death, the family had come to the attention of Child Protective Services. Records show that the agency had conducted at least six investigations concerning the family or members of the household in the years leading up to 2016. However, the allegations in these prior cases were ultimately found to be unsubstantiated. Publicly available information and news reports following the homicide ruling did not specify if any arrests had been made or if any particular individuals were considered suspects in the death of Izayah Pelaez-Daniel. The investigation into his tragic death was ongoing.
