FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – New details in the death of a Fort Wayne toddler find the boy had been abused.
19-month-old Elias Paez died in October of 2020. On Thursday, the Allen County Coroner’s Office announced Paez died of abusive injuries.
The manner of death has not been officially determined as the coroner’s office waits for the death certificate to be completed.
The Allen County Coroner released the following on Thursday:
The final autopsy report has been received by the Allen County Coroner’s Office on the death of Elias Paez, male hispanic, 19 months of age from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Elias Paez was pronounced deceased October 20, 2020 and a press release at that time was the Cause and Manner of Death were Pending.
This incident remained under investigation, and the Cause of Death has been determined to be Tracheobronchitis with Multiple Bruises of Varying Ages, Are Abusive Injuries and the Manner of Death is Undetermined.
The ruling of Undetermined allows the opportunity for the completion of the death certificate and the investigation to continue. The potential also remains for a future change in the Manner of Death if new facts arise during the course of further investigation, which points to a definitive Manner of Death.
