Two arrested for brutal beating of 5-year-old boy

April 30, 2010 7:34 PM

Two people are in custody today for the brutal beating death of a 5-year-old boy in Gary.

The Northwest Indiana Times is reporting that murder and neglect charges are expected to be filed against the man and woman.

Leon D. Walker's body bore up to 40 marks of violence, some of them old, according to Gary police Sgt. William Fazekas, supervisor of the Violent Crimes Unit and lead investigator in the case.

"You could clearly see that he was beaten to a pulp," Fazekas said.

The boy was dead when he arrived at Methodist Hospital's Northlake Campus in Gary Wednesday night. Police were at the hospital interviewing a gunshot victim when the boy was brought into the emergency room on a stretcher with his clothes cut open, Fazekas said.

The boy's father and girlfriend arrived at the hospital a short time later, he said.

His death was caused by trauma to the body so severe it shocked even longtime law enforcement officials. "What happened to that boy is incomprehensible," the coroner's spokesman said.

Four other children were taken from the Virginia Street home by Child Protective Services, Fazekas said. Their ages ranged from 1 to 13, he said.

Leon had been reported missing from his house on Sunday but was found in an abandoned building and returned home, Fazekas said.

"They reported him missing, but there was no sign of wrong play at that time," Fazekas said.

From: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/04/two-arrested-for-brutal-beating-of-5-year-old-boy.html