Parents accused of killing 1-year-old son, then attend family reunion, leaving body in car

The family of a California couple accused of murdering their one-year-old son is reportedly recovering from their unexpected loss, days later.

"Everyone is devastated," Jamari Mendez's aunt, Leslie Mendez, told KABC-TV. "We didn't expect our own flesh and blood to do this to their own child."

On Tuesday, Barstow police arrested Jamari's parents, Ricardo Mendez, 27, and Antanita Miller, 24. According to jail records, both are charged with torture, assault on a child and murder.

The day before their arrests, Leslie said her brother Ricardo and Miller showed up unexpectedly at a family home in Pomona, California, with their two other children. They said Jamari was with Miller's mother.

"They both walked in like nothing had happened," Leslie recalled to the station.

Ricardo finally confessed to his family that Jamari was dead, Leslie alleged, and that his body was in the back of his car. Leslie said she rushed to retrieve her nephew, the media outlet reports.

"We all ran and he was covered with blankets. That's when my other two brothers helped my sister-in-law get the baby out," Leslie said.

Leslie and her sister-in-law carried Jamari's lifeless body to a local hospital, while the boy's parents stayed behind.

Despite efforts to revive him, Jamari was pronounced dead immediately upon arrival at the hospital, and authorities were called to investigate his suspicious death, according to a press release from the Barstow Police Department.

Detectives said they observed that the infant’s injuries were consistent with ongoing abuse. Jamari's body was covered with "injuries, bruises and burn marks," and some of the injuries appeared to be in different stages of the healing process, police said.

Jamari is believed to have died at her home in Barstow prior to her arrival in Pomona.

During a search of the couple's home and their vehicle, investigators said they found evidence of items used in Jamari's alleged abuse, including a lighter.

Ricardo and Miller are due in court Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether the couple hired attorneys or entered guilty pleas.

Meanwhile, Leslie launched a GoFundMe campaign aimed at raising money to cover the costs of the boy's funeral.