Father arrested in death of child found unconscious at South LA motel

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – A father was arrested Wednesday after his 18-month-old son was found unconscious at a motel in South Los Angeles, police said.

Authorities were called to the Rosa Bell Motel at 5606 S. Western Avenue at approximately 11:10 am Tuesday to investigate the death of a child. Officers and paramedics found the child, later identified as Dee’ago Alexander Jones, unconscious and not breathing.

The child was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

The boy’s father, Shane Zachery Flowers, 23, was convicted on Wednesday of child abuse resulting in death, the Los Angeles Police Department told Eyewitness News on Thursday morning. Flowers was first named a person of interest in her child’s death.

Flowers is expected to be arraigned on Friday.

The boy’s mother spoke to Eyewitness News in a touching interview.

“I don’t know why he would run away from this situation and leave us there. And not come back,” Ryanna Jones said sobbing. “He didn’t even call to make sure he was still alive or okay… I just want him to be put aside.”

The three lived at the motel as part of a program that provides shelter for homeless families with children.

Jones said that when he woke up Tuesday morning, Flowers told him their son was not breathing. He said he gave him medicine to help him sleep but failed to revive him. He used cold water to try to wake him up, he told him, and also tried CPR.

Jones said Flowers had been violent with the boy in the past.

Her son, she said, was a sweet and happy child.

“He was a happy baby,” Jones said. “He didn’t deserve any of this.

An examination to determine the cause of the boy’s death is underway.

NOTE: Video in Featured Media Player is from a previous report.