The agency said earlier reports involving the boy’s mother were investigated but not substantiated.
MESA, Ariz. — Arizona child welfare records have become part of the backdrop to a murder case after police said a Mesa toddler died from severe burns that his mother and her boyfriend hid for days.
Artnesia Aaliyah Baptist, 24, and Alexsander Byrne, 21, are accused in Maricopa County of first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of Baptist’s 22-month-old son. Police say the child was burned April 3, denied medical treatment and pronounced dead April 12.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety told ABC15 that Baptist had been the subject of two reports within the year before the child died. The first came in May 2025 and alleged that Baptist abused another child. DCS said that report was unsubstantiated. The second came in September and alleged neglect after a domestic violence incident involving Baptist and the toddler’s biological father. DCS said it investigated with law enforcement and found no evidence to support that allegation. The agency said the toddler was assessed as safe after Baptist moved out with him and his siblings. That assessment came about seven months before the fatal emergency call in Mesa.
The criminal case opened April 12 when Mesa police officers were called just after 9 a.m. to a home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road for a report of a child not breathing. Fire and medical crews took the toddler to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers said the boy had injuries consistent with burns. Detectives then worked backward through interviews, medical findings and search warrants. Police said they determined the child had suffered severe liquid burns over a large part of his body while under the care of Baptist and Byrne. Local reports said investigators identified Byrne as the sole caregiver when the child was burned.
Court records described the alleged burn pattern in detail. Investigators said the injuries were similar to hot or boiling water poured over the boy’s head and running down his neck, shoulders, chest, back and hips. Police said about 40% of his body was burned. The affidavit said the skin loosened and blistered. Byrne allegedly reported seeing “big chunks” of skin peel off during a diaper change, but both defendants denied knowing what caused the injuries. The child’s name has not been released in the available reports. Police have not publicly described a motive for the alleged burn event, and the charges remain allegations pending trial.
What happened after the burns is a central part of the prosecution. Investigators said Baptist and Byrne kept the injuries secret from the child’s biological father and threatened to kill him if he tried to pick up the boy. Court records also said they told Byrne’s parents the child had a cold. When Byrne’s mother offered to take him to urgent care, the couple allegedly said he was getting better. Police said the defendants treated the injuries at home with burn cream, Tylenol and aloe vera. Byrne allegedly told investigators that the boy developed a fever, vomited and could not walk. The delay between the alleged burn injury and the child’s death is the period investigators say allowed infection to spread.
The child welfare issue appears in the case in two ways. It is background to the family’s previous contacts with DCS, and it is also part of Byrne’s alleged explanation for why medical care was not sought. Court paperwork said Byrne admitted in a recorded post-Miranda interview that treatment was intentionally refused because he thought Child Protective Services would become involved. The paperwork said he admitted he knew the refusal was wrong, illegal, caused additional injury, caused additional pain and caused the child’s death. ABC15 reported that the court documents said the couple feared DCS would take other children from the home. DCS later filed a dependency petition after the death, according to a state fatality summary.
The fatality summary said the child’s siblings were placed with an unlicensed caregiver and that services were being provided to the family. It also said Baptist and Byrne were indicted May 29 on one count each of first-degree murder and child abuse. Those child welfare steps are separate from the criminal prosecution. The dependency case concerns the safety and placement of children connected to the family. The murder case concerns whether Baptist and Byrne committed crimes before the boy’s death. The same facts may appear in both settings, but the legal standards and goals differ.
The medical findings described in the police affidavit are expected to carry heavy weight. The child died from severe infection and sepsis, according to court records. The affidavit said infection had spread for at least 48 hours before death and described the final period as a slow, painful decline. It also said the odor of infected skin filled the emergency room. The document described missing, red and infected skin on the child’s shoulders, clavicle, sternum, under his hair, along the back of his neck, and down his back, buttocks and hips. These descriptions are from charging records, not testimony before a jury.
Detectives also reviewed digital records. Police said search warrants covered Byrne’s home, phone, Google account and social media accounts. Investigators reported searches about showers, first-degree burns, second-degree burns and burn cream. Prosecutors may use those records to argue the defendants knew the child needed help. Defense attorneys may argue about who made the searches, what they meant or whether they prove intent. The available reports do not list attorneys for Baptist or Byrne or include statements from them outside the police summaries. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.
Police arrested Baptist and Byrne on May 26. Local reports said both were held on $1 million cash-only bonds. The next public steps are expected in Maricopa County Superior Court, where the indictment will guide pretrial hearings, discovery and any later trial schedule. The DCS review and dependency case are expected to continue on a separate track.
For now, the case links three official systems: Mesa police, Maricopa County prosecutors and Arizona child welfare officials. The next milestone is the court process that will test the evidence behind the indictment.
Author note: Last updated June 23, 2026.