Mo'Nayjah Lamya Johnnay Jackson, 1

Mo'Nayjah Jackson, a 1-year-old black girl, was suffocated Friday, May 20, in the 100 block of West Del Mar Avenue in Pasadena, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

[Editor's note: This death was first reported by the coroner in May, but a determination that the cause was homicide was not made until later. The Times added it to the Homicide Report after that confirmation.]

Police and paramedics responded to a call of a child not breathing, said Pasadena Police Department Lt. Tracey Ibarra. Efforts to resuscitate the child failed.

"The family said they didn't know what happened. It was considered a suspicious death, and an investigation was initiated," Ibarra said.

On Aug. 25, the child’s father, Marquise Jackson, was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Upon questioning, Jackson, a 21-year-old black man, "admitted he suffocated the 1-year-old girl," Ibarra said.

According to the felony complaint filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, Jackson has been charged with one count of murder and one count of assault on a child causing death.

He is being held on $1-million bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. His next court appearance is scheduled Dec. 28 at Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pasadena.

-- Rosanna Xia