A 60-year-old grandmother was arrested earlier in the week on charges of severe child abuse on Valentine's Day -- so severe was the alleged abuse that it is suspected in resulting in the death of her grandson on Friday.
Becky Trujillo was booked into the Adams County Detention Center Wednesday after her four-year-old grandson, Gabriel Trujillo, was taken to the Children's Hospital by ambulance for head injuries on Valentine's Day. According to 7News, the boy's uncle said he had fallen off a table, but the child's injuries were not consistent with that story. Gabriel Trujillo's injuries were so severe in fact, that doctors had to crack his skull in order to let the swelling in his brain breathe -- a procedure similarly used on former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head -- and had been on life support since Tuesday.
Unfortunately, however, Commerce City police Detective Mike Saunders said that young Gabriel Trujillo died around 1 p.m. Friday from injuries he sustained on Valentine's Day when Becky Trujillo had custody of the boy.
News of this tragedy comes just one day after Gov. John Hickenlooper announced several changes to improve Colorado's child welfare system after the high-profile deaths of 43 children that were involved in the system during the last five years.
A groundbreaking BBC report just last October said that child abuse is a nationwide epidemic and that a child in U.S. dies every five hours from abuse or neglect.
Trujillo is currently being held on a $1 million bond.