Texas – A Texas man and woman were taken into custody and charged in connection with the death of their chiId. The 27-year-old dad, D. AIston, was booked on a charge of capitaI murder of a victim under ten years of age. The 22-year-old mom, T. Peres, faces a felony charge of injury to a chiId resuIting in serious bodiIy injury. Bond for AIston was set at $2 million and bond for Peres at $250,000, according to court records.
Investigators began their inquiry after the 2-month-oId, identified in records as Zain, was brought to a Houston hospital in Sept. last year with catastrophic injuries. Medical personnel documented what they described as multiple blunt force injuries to the head, torso and extremities, including skuII fractures, brain bIeeding and retinal hemorrhages. The baby was declared brain dead and died two days later. The autopsy later ruled the manner of death a homicide and listed multiple blunt force traumas as the cause.
Court records show the case drew immediate concern because the child had earlier injuries dating back to when he was ten days old. Those earlier medical visits reportedly included fractures and other trauma that prompted Texas Child Protective Services to assign a monitor — the baby’s maternal great-grandmother — and to limit parental contact for a period in JuIy last year. The great-grandmother reportedly moved into the parents’ apartment to supervise interactions as part of a safety plan.
Detectives and child abuse investigators followed a methodical, multi-step probe that relied on medical examinations, hospital records, interviews, digital forensics and physical evidence. A pediatric critical care social worker met with detectives while the infant was hospitalized and told officers the injuries were highly concerning for abuse. Investigators obtained medical records from the hospital and other providers, reviewed emergency-room reports and documented the progression of the child’s injuries. Forensic review of the autopsy and medical imaging informed the homicide finding.
Digital evidence played a central role in the investigation. Court filings indicate detectives extracted data from the father’s phone, recovering deleted internet searches from the night the baby was taken to the hospital. The recovered searches included queries about unresponsiveness in infants, whether infant CPR works and whether someone would go to jail if they found a child unresponsive. Investigators also noted a 39-minute gap between the first deleted search and the first outgoing 911 call from the father’s phone. Prosecutors referenced deleted text messages, voicemail and other communications during their review.
Statements made to investigators and hospital staff are included in court documents. According to those records, the defendant told Texas authorities he was the last person to see the baby alive and initially suggested the child had an allergic reaction to explain swelling and other visible trauma. Later, in an account of events the night the lnfant became critically ill, the father told detectives he had been holding the child and tripped over a shoe, saying he did not see the baby’s head strike any surface and that the child was not crying immediately afterward. The child’s mom told Texas authorities she spent the day at the apartment and that the the child’s father was alone with the baby for a period in the evening; she denied prior family violence and described the defendant as a good father, according to court records.
Investigators also examined communications among family members and the CPS monitor. Court documents include text messages in which family members questioned unexplained marks on the infant, and messages that, prosecutors say, were inconsistent with full disclosure about the child’s condition. Detectives reviewed surveillance and phone location data, and they say a reenactment was conducted at the apartment as part of the probe. Prosecutors assert there were multiple traumatic events to the child, documented in medical and autopsy findings, including rib fractures in different stages of healing that indicated repeated injuries.
Based on the totality of the medical findings, digital evidence and interviews, prosecutors filed the current charges. The charging documents allege repeated and severe physical abuse of a very young child and say Perez was aware of prior injuries yet failed to protect the infant or ensure he was not left alone with an alleged abuser. The couple’s arrest and the court filings mark an end to the criminal investigation phase in Harris County; the case will proceed through the legal system where the charges must be proven in court or resolved through plea.
This account is based on court records and reporting by local news organizations that reviewed charging documents, medical statements and interviews conducted by investigators. Authorities have not released additional findings beyond what appears in court filings and medical reports; the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
