MILTON GALARZA-ROJAS - 9 Months / POIs: Viameri Santana-Berrious and Oscar Rivera - Philadelphia PA

Police in Philadelphia are looking for a couple facing
murder charges in the drug overdose death of a 9-month-old boy last summer.
Milton Galarza-Rojas died on July 29, shortly after medics responded to a 911 call of a baby not breathing.
The medical examiner's office recently received the results of toxicology
tests and ruled the baby died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine.
Arrest warrants have been issued for the child's aunt 27-year-old Viameri
Santana-Berrious and her 34-year-old boyfriend Oscar Rivera.
A police spokeswoman said the couple may have fled to Puerto Rico.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts should contact the Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit.

http://www.centredaily.com/2012/04/13/3161588/couple-sought-in-od-death-of-9.html


Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/04/13/3161588/couple-sought-in-od-death-of-9.html#storylink=cpy

Drugs Kill Baby, Couple on the Run: Cops
Cocaine and heroin killed a nine-month-old baby according to Philadelphia Police. Investigators are now searching for the child's aunt and her boyfriend.

Friday, Apr 13, 2012 | Updated 4:31 PM EDT



Philadelphia Police are searching for a couple in connection with the death of a nine-month-old boy who died from heroin and cocaine intoxication.

Medics were called to a home on North 7th Street in Philadelphia in July of 2011 for reports of an infant not breathing, according to investigators. Milton Galarza-Rojas was transported to St. Christopher's Hospital where he died a short time later.

The Medical Examiner's Office recently received the results of toxicology tests and ruled Galarza-Rojas' death a homicide.

Arrest warrants have been issued for the child's aunt, Viameri Santana-Berrious, 27, and her boyfriend Oscar Rivera, 34.

Anyone with information about Rivera or Santana-Berrious' whereabouts should contact the Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Drugs-Kill-Baby-Parents-on-the-Run-Cops-147348285.html

A couple caring for a nine-month-old infant who died after having difficulty breathing has been charged with murder.



Oscar Sanchez-Rivera, 24, and his girlfriend, Viameri
Santana-Berrios, 27, were arrested after Santana-Berrios’ nephew’s son
died while they were caring for him.

Police were called to the residence on North 7th Street on July 26,
2011 at 2:36 p.m., where they found the child unresponsive in the
basement. He later died at St. Christopher’s Hospital, and a medical
examiner determined the cause of death to be heroin and cocaine
intoxication and the manner of death to be murder.

Sanchez-Rivera, of the 1900 block of East Market Street, and
Santana-Berrios, of the 2700 block of Helen Street, are charged with
Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, Endangering the Welfare of a Child and
related offenses. The two were arrested this past spring for their
crimes.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/05/11/philadelphia-couple-charged-with-murder-after-infant-dies/

Nine-month-old dies after 'babysitters injected his 17lb body with heroin and cocaine to his feet and hands'

PUBLISHED: 11:22 EST, 5 July 2012| UPDATED: 04:10 EST, 6 July 2012


A couple have been accused of killing a nine-month-old baby boy by injecting him with heroin and cocaine.

Oscar Sanchez-Rivera, 24, and Viameri Santana-Berrios, 27, were babysitting the boy when he died from a drug overdose.

Doctors found needle marks on his hands and feet as well as undigested heroin and cocaine in his body.

A medical examiner told a court in Philadelphia that the young victim, Milton Rojas, had so many drugs in his body that he likened him to a drug mule - the slang for someone who smuggles drugs in their body.

The shocking details of the baby boy’s death were revealed at a preliminary hearing in Philadelphia where a judge ordered Sanchez-Rivera, 24, to stand trial on murder.

His girlfriend Santana-Berrios will go on trial on third-degree murder charges following a five hour hearing into the circumstances of the boy’s death.

Paramedic Dale Schroder told the court that he recognised 'track marks' normally found on drug addicts when he was trying to revive the baby.

He said he had been called to the home last July after the baby was reported as being unresponsive.

Schroeder said Santana-Berrios led him to a bedroom where he saw Sanchez-Rivera standing over the body of a baby who was naked and lying on a towel on the bed.


Abused: Milton had so many drugs in his body that he was likened to a drug mule or someone
who smuggles drugs in their body


The child was cool to the touch, pale, and unresponsive, and Schroeder's said his efforts failed to revive the child.

Schroeder said he and his partner took the child to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where he was pronounced dead.

At the hospital, the paramedic added, Milton's internal body temperature was already too low to register on a rectal thermometer.

Medical examiner Lieberman Edwin said an autopsy showed eight needle marks on the feet and hands as well as heroin and cocaine still undigested in the child's stomach.

Lieberman said he had never seen this level of drugs before in a child.

Both defendants gave statements to detectives that claimed the baby, who had a history of breathing problems, began snoring, stopped breathing, and turned blue.


Murder charges: A judge has ordered Sanchez-Rivera to stand trial on murder while his girlfriend
Santana-Berrios will go on trial on third-degree murder charges



Blame: The couple blamed the mother for the child's overdose, alleged by their attorneys,
while prosecutors said the child died within six hours of being injected in their care

The pair were looking after the boy for Iris Rojas.

Defence lawyers blamed her for the overdose, but prosecutor Kirn told the court the victim died within six hours of being injected.

She said: 'For 39-1/2 hours, this baby was in the care of these two people.

'Take a look at the math and at the level of care and how they acted. The body has track marks. Track marks on a baby.'

Municipal Court Judge James M. DeLeon ordered Sanchez-Rivera to be held on a murder charge as well as conspiracy and child endangerment.

The judge held Santana-Berrios, a mother of two, on third-degree murder and a related charge and she was given bail of $150,000.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2169279/Nine-month-old-dies-babysitters-injected-17lb-body-heroin-cocaine-feet-hands.html#ixzz2SMXKXhWQ

They must have been dealers, users would not waste their drugs.