A 22-year-old mother found her two-year-old son dead inside their rented home in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, early Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The mother, identified as “Tin,” a pseudonym, returned from work at around 3 a.m. and found her son lying under a blanket. She initially thought the child was asleep, but became alarmed when he did not respond and appeared not to be breathing.
She rushed the boy to Cebu City Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Police later arrested the mother’s 37-year-old live-in partner, identified as “Lyle,” at a house in Sitio Nazareth, Barangay Buhisan, at around 9:30 p.m. the same day.
According to police, bruises were found on several parts of the child’s body. Investigators said they were preparing a murder complaint against Lyle while awaiting the results of a formal autopsy.
The death certificate listed subdural hemorrhage and blunt traumatic head injury as the cause of death. Police said, however, that the autopsy would provide more definitive findings and help determine whether the child had suffered additional injuries.
Tin told investigators that she had previously noticed bruises on her son’s body. She said Lyle had explained the marks as part of his way of disciplining the child and acknowledged biting him.
The mother had left her son in Lyle’s care on the night of September 15 while she went to work. Police said Lyle later sent Tin a message expressing regret and saying he loved her and the child.
Lyle denied beating the boy or intentionally causing his death. He told investigators that the child had become ill after allegedly getting caught in the rain and had been suffering from vomiting and diarrhea.
According to his account, the child’s condition worsened during the early hours of September 16. Lyle said he noticed frothing around the boy’s mouth and difficulty breathing and attempted to help him. He said he later panicked when the child stopped breathing and left the home before Tin returned.
Lyle also reportedly acknowledged that he had bitten the child and slapped him on the head in the past, while denying that he deliberately caused the boy’s death.
Police are continuing to investigate how the child sustained the injuries. Officers from the Labangon Police Station, the City Investigation and Detective Management Unit and the City Intelligence Unit took part in the follow-up operation that led to Lyle’s arrest.
The suspect remains in police custody as investigators await the autopsy results and prepare the complaint.
