Boyfriend, Mother Charged In Murder Of Blaine Toddler
BLAINE, Minn. (WCCO) -- The Anoka County Attorney has charged two adults in connection with the murder of a 21-month-old.
Nelson Geovanny Soto-Lopez, 24, has been charged with second-degree murder with intent in the death of 2-year-old Drake Oliva. The child's mother, Heydi Aguilera-Bustillo, has also been charged.
Court documents say the toddler was assaulted by Soto-Lopez inside this apartment on 87th Avenue NE in Blaine. Soto-Lopez shared the apartment with his girlfriend, Heydi Aguilera-Bustillo.
It was Aguilera-Bustillo who called medics early Tuesday morning when she discovered her child was not breathing. When questioned by investigators, she first told them the child had fallen on a playground the previous day, and said his bruises were from playing outside in a pile of leaves.
Aguilera-Bustillo also told them her 5-year-old moved away with her grandmother in Houston, Texas. Four hours after the child was pronounced dead, court documents say she changed her story.
"Through a series of interviews and the facts not lining up we have decided to take her into custody." Anoka County Sheriff Paul Sommer said in a press conference Tuesday.
Court documents say Aguilera-Bustillo made up a story about a man she met, who hurt her son. Investigators found photos of the injured child on her phone. They also found medical supplies used to try and revive the child in the apartment.
She eventually told investigators that it was Soto-Lopez who hit the child with a belt and threw him in the air, at one point dropping him on his head. She also admitted her 5-year-old was with Soto-Lopez.
"We have information that suggests that he is trying to leave the Twin Cities," Sommer said Tuesday.
Soto-Lopez eventually hired a cab to drive him to Kansas City, where he met his father and step mother. He was eventually caught and arrested, and the 5-year-old is now in protective custody.
Aguilera-Bustillo is being held on $1 million bail. Her next hearing is set for Jan. 10, 2017. Soto-Lopez remains in custody in Missouri, until he can be extradited to Minnesota.
