Overview
- Brandon Padilla-Aguilera, 26, was taken into custody Oct. 17 at his Barstow home and booked into the High Desert Detention Center.
- Police say a month-long investigation that included witness interviews and evidence collection led detectives to secure an arrest warrant.
- Padilla-Aguilera is being held on $1 million bail at the High Desert Jail, with a court appearance scheduled in Victorville Superior Court Tuesday morning.
- Investigators say he and his son tried to drive across a flooded stretch of West Main Street on Sept. 18 when their vehicle was swept into a wash and they were separated.
- The child, Xavier Padilla-Aguilera, was found dead the next afternoon in a county flood-control channel, and police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Bryce Carson or submit an anonymous WeTip.