FBI in Puerto Rico to help in probe of killing of boy, 8, as police investigate mother, 2 men

FBI to probe death of PR boy, 8; mom investigated

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The FBI has been asked to help investigate the death of an 8-year-old boy whose mother said he just fell out of bed, Puerto Rico police said Wednesday.

Ana Cacho said she found her son bleeding by his bed early March 9, but she waited about 90 minutes to take him to the hospital, police said. An autopsy determined the boy died from cuts to his eyebrow, nose and forehead and said the injuries were caused by a person.

No charges have been filed, but police Inspector Manuel Portalatin told The Associated Press the mother is under investigation, as are two male friends who visited her that night, one of them an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

FBI spokesman Harry Rodriguez confirmed the agency had been asked to help the investigation, but said he could not give any more details.

Police who searched the home inside a ritzy coastal subdivision said they found a crack pipe. Portalatin said it is being tested for DNA, though it was not clear if the pipe was used on the night the child died.

The mother’s lawyer, Rafael Casasnovas, recently told reporters that the woman does not use drugs and that the death was a “total enigma” to her. Police said she took a drug test but results will not be available for up to three months.

The boy’s father, Ahmed Gonzalez, obtained a court order shortly after his son’s death to prevent the body from being cremated as his ex-partner had planned.

Prosecutor Wanda Casiano, who is overseeing the case, said the mother has not explained why she knew of the injury at around 4 a.m. but did not take the boy to a hospital until 5:30 a.m.

Authorities say no one broke into the home despite the mother’s attorneys suggesting someone had forced open a door.