ROGERS, Ark — The mother of a two-year-old boy who was killed has been arrested in connection to his death.
According to the Benton County Sheriff's Office, 23-year-old Breyana Sawyer was arrested Thursday, Sept. 23.
She is facing charges of permitting abuse of a child and hindering apprehension or prosecution. She is currently being held on no bond.
Earlier this month, Mercy Hospital notified the Rogers Police Department (RPD) in regards to the death of a two-year-old child.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the child had been seen at the hospital before his death for stomach issues.
An autopsy was performed at the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock, and the results indicated that the child's death was caused by a blunt force traumatic injury to the child's abdomen. According to the affidavit, these types of injuries are typically inflicted within a week of death.
The RPD previously arrested 29-year-old Gustavo Peraza of Rogers in connection with the child's death on a warrant for Capital Murder and First Degree Battery.
Peraza was booked into the Benton County Jail and is being held for a bond hearing.
According to the affidavit, the child's grandparents initially expressed concerns to the mother about the child's safety when he was left in Peraza's care. They told investigators that each time their grandson was left with Peraza, that he would come back with suspicious injuries or bruises.
Peraza would watch Sawyer's son while she worked. He allegedly told her that he would take the boy to the park during that time, which is where the injuries and bruises came from.
Cell phone records later obtained by investigators showed that he was never near any Rogers parks. From what police found in the phone records, each of the child's injuries coincided with when he was in the care of Peraza.
The records also showed that Peraza has several "suspicious" Google searches regarding being hit in the stomach.