Coroner rules foster father’s death a suicide
The Clark County coroner’s office on Tuesday released the cause of death of the man who police said killed his 16-month-old foster daughter.
Joaquin Juarez-Paez, 37, committed suicide through a hydrocodone intoxication, the coroner said. Hydrocodone is a narcotic found in pain medication.
Police responded to the Oasis apartment complex at 6100 Carmen Blvd., near North Jones Boulevard and Vegas Drive, early Oct. 12. Juarez-Paez’s wife found him unresponsive in a vehicle, Las Vegas police said.
When officers told Juarez-Paez’s wife to get his car keys, she found 16-month-old Michell Momox-Caselis dead in her crib, police said.
The deaths were classified as a murder-suicide by police.
The couple had recently become Michell’s foster parents. A 6-month-old baby also under their foster care was removed from the home, according to the Clark County Department of Family Services.
Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites
