Las Vegas parents face murder charges in death of baby boy

Two Las Vegas parents are facing murder charges after their 5-month-old baby died earlier this week, police said.

Anthony Oceja, 29, and 24-year-old Loreana Martinez were booked Wednesday into the Clark County Detention Center. Each faces one count of open murder and one count of child abuse or neglect for crimes related to the infant’s death. County records show the baby was a boy.

Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to investigate a report of abuse or neglect Sunday night at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and at an apartment on the 5700 block of East Hacienda Avenue, near Boulder Highway and Tropicana Avenue.

Medical responders told police they were taking a 5-month-old baby to Sunrise after the child appeared to be malnourished. The infant died at Sunrise, police said.

The baby lived at the East Hacienda apartment with Martinez, Oceja and two other siblings. The two siblings were taken into protective custody, police said.

The Clark County Department of Family Services had never investigated the family before the baby’s death, records show.

Oceja and Martinez also face multiple counts each of animal abuse-related charges after investigators found three dogs that appeared severely malnourished in the apartment. The dogs were turned over to Clark County Animal Control officials.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.