D.C. police said they arrested and charged a man after his naked 5-year-old son was found dead inside a trash-laden Northwest apartment over the weekend.
Metropolitan Police said that Deandre Pettus, 32, was charged with child cruelty in connection to his son’s death around 10:20 a.m. Sunday on the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue Northwest.
Court documents said the boy’s cause of death remains undetermined.
Medical examiners detected a faint bruise on the back of the boy’s neck and some small abrasions around his temples, but the child didn’t have any visible signs of abuse.
“Our condolences go out to the family of the 5-year-old, whether it’s the mother, whether it’s the grandmother,” Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
“This young man was a student at one of our schools, and so this is certainly a tragedy that doesn’t just impact his family, but it impacts those who have relationships with him in our community,” Chief Smith said.
A witness told police that Mr. Pettus admitted that he was punching his son before police were called, according to the filing.
Mr. Pettus came to her to say he “f——- up” and the boy wasn’t breathing, the witness told authorities.
“I was going to his body and he tried to run and hit a wall,” Mr. Pettus allegedly said, according to charging documents. “I f——- up; he is unconscious.”
The witness demonstrated to police that “going to the body” meant throwing hard punches.
Court documents said the witness had previously seen Mr. Pettus punch the boy with a level of force not appropriate for a 5-year-old.
The witness also told police that she has a Civil Protection Order against the suspect.
Officers detailed the apartment’s ’unsanitary’ conditions in the filing, saying that “large amounts of garbage, clothing, and assorted property are strewn about in every room.”
Dirty dishes were all over the kitchen sink, counter and stove, according to the documents, and each room had “garbage and debris” on the floor.
The young boy attended Murch Elementary School in Northwest.
The victim lived in the apartment with his two juvenile sisters. The filing said both girls told police that their father would occasionally “whoop” them, sometimes with a belt.
Mr. Pettus was released Monday following a court hearing and was ordered to stay away from children.
His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 28.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.