DENTON, Texas — A woman and her boyfriend have been arrested in connection to the death of a 7-year-old child who had "suspicious and extensive" injuries, Denton police said.
In a news release, police said officers and the fire department responded to the 1600 block of East McKinney Street just before 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, after receiving a call about a child who was having a medical emergency.
According to police, medics transported the child to a hospital and told officers about the 7-year-old's "significant signs of injury."
The child later died at the hospital.
Police said investigators executed a search warrant of the child's home and interviewed the child's mother and her boyfriend, who both lived at the residence.
Investigators determined that the boyfriend, identified as 52-year-old Todd Lofton Shaw, was connected to the child's death, police said. Shaw was arrested and charged with injury to a child on April 2.
Denton police said as the investigation progressed, the child's mother, Sabrina Ho, was interviewed a second time.
Police said Ho admitted she was aware of the ongoing physical abuse her son, identified as Phoenix Ho, suffered at the hands of Shaw.
Ho also told police that she would keep Phoenix out of school and intentionally failed to seek medical care for his injuries to hide the abuse.
On Tuesday, April 5, detectives arrested Ho on a warrant for injury to a child. She is currently waiting arraignment at the City of Denton Jail.
In a press conference on Wednesday, April 6, Deputy Chief Frank Padgett said that the investigations indicated the abuse lasted a time period of at least a week to upwards of the entire month of March.
"This is a child. We want to be [Phoenix]'s voice," Padgett said.
DFPS officials told WFAA there were no other children in the home. The department added that it has been previously involved with the family, but said those details are confidential by state law.
"It is heartbreaking that the death of this child occurred on the first day of National Child Abuse Prevention Month," the police department said in a statement.
If you or someone you know suspects that a child is being abused, you can call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. You can also contact the Children's Advocacy Center of North Texas at 972-317-2818.
In cases of emergency, call 911.