Mother, grandfather arrested after death of 2-year-old girl

A mother and grandfather were arrested after an investigation revealed evidence that their abuse and neglect led to the death of a 2-year-old girl, police said.

Cheyenne Cobb, 20, and Jon Palechek, 47, were arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse causing death, Fontana police said in a statement. Cobb is the child’s biological mother; Palechek is Cobb’s stepfather.

The child possibly died of a strangulation-type injury, due to the way she was confined in her bedding area, said Fontana Police Sgt. Kevin Goltara.

On Monday at 9:14 p.m., Fontana police and San Bernardino County fire officials and paramedics responded to a medical aid call for a 2-year-old child not breathing at a home in the 16700 block of Slover Avenue, police said.

The child was declared dead at the scene.

“The upkeep of the house and the condition that the child was kept in was obviously not satisfactory,” Goltara said. “Part of that, we believe, led to the death of the child.”

Police described the house as a “hoarder-like house.”

Goltara said he could not provide any more details on the condition of the child or the home. He said it did not appear that there had been calls to the residence before.

“I don’t see any calls for any type of child abuse or anything at the residence in the past,” Goltara said.

The child’s great-grandmother was also in the home and is a “dependent adult,” Goltara said. Family was called to take her from the residence, he said.

Cobb and Palechek were booked into West Valley Detention Center.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Fontana Police Department at (909) 350-7740.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

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UPDATES:

Oct. 26, 10:40 a.m.: This article was updated with details of the child’s death and condition of the home.

This article was originally published Oct. 24 at 9:45 a.m.