Aiden Matthew Lopez

Aiden Matthew Lopez, a 5-month-old Latino, died Saturday, March 26, after he was beaten in the 43400 block of Gadsden Avenue in Lancaster, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

On March 22, the baby's parents left for work and left him in the care of a family friend who had been working as their babysitter for about eight weeks, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Eddie Hernandez. 

When the baby’s mother came home from work about 6 p.m., the babysitter asked her to come look at the boy and said, “I don’t think he’s breathing,” Hernandez said. 

The mother grabbed her son and called 911, Hernandez said. The baby was taken to a hospital and treated for serious head trauma, bruising on his upper torso and a possible broken arm, Hernandez said. 

He was pronounced dead four days later at 12:50 a.m., according to coroner’s records. Investigators have placed a security hold on the autopsy results, which means the results aren’t available to the public. 

Aiden seemed fine when his parents left for work in the morning, Hernandez said. The babysitter was a longtime friend of the baby’s father, he said, and there hadn’t been any problems until March 22.  

The babysitter, Brittany Ann Ingrassi, a 30-year-old white woman, was arrested that evening and initially charged with assault on a child becoming comatose/paralysis, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

On Friday, the charges were amended to murder and assault on a child causing death, according to Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the office.

Ingrassi, a Lancaster resident, is being held on $1-million bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned April 15 in Department A01 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Antelope Valley Courthouse. 

The baby’s family lives in a mobile home park, with many other homes nearby, Hernandez said. Investigators are looking for neighbors or passersby who may have heard or seen the assault March 22. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Bureau Det. Theodore Baljet or Sgt. Troy Ewing at (323) 890-5500.  Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.