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Manteca Man Accused In Death Of Girlfriend's Daughter

MANTECA (CBS13) - Police have arrested a Manteca man accused of killing his girlfriend's 19-month-old daughter.

On Saturday at around 1:30 p.m., Manteca police received a call from a hospital emergency room reporting that a 19-month-old girl was brought to them unresponsive, according to a statement from Manteca P.D. When officers arrived, the child had already died. Due to the circumstances surrounding the child's death, detectives were asked to investigate.

Detectives say the child was brought to the emergency room by the child's mother's boyfriend, 21-year-old Longino Lamont Tolefree Jr., of Manteca, after, Tolefree indicated, the child had medical issues.

The San Joaquin County Coroner's Office on Monday conducted an autopsy on the child and found evidence indicating the girl was the victim of a homicide.

At around 6:30 p.m. Monday, detectives went to Tolefree's workplace in Lathrop where they arrested him for the girl's death. He was later booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on charges of child abuse on a child under 8 causing death, guardian infliction injury to child under 8 causing death, and corporal injury to a child under 8 years old.

Tolefree is being held on $1,050,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on January 15 at 1:25 p.m. at Manteca Superior Court.

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