PD: 2-year old child dead; father arrested on murder, abuse charges

GILBERT, AZ - Gilbert police arrested the father of a 2-year-old child on charges of first degree murder and child abuse, after the young boy was found dead Wednesday evening.

Police identified the man as 25-year-old Jonathan Cole.

Police responded to the InTown Suites in Gilbert around 6 p.m. Wednesday and found Alexzander Cole, 2, not breathing.

CPR was conducted on the child until Gilbert Fire Department arrived at the scene. The boy was then taken to Cardon Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.  

Cole was interviewed by detectives and later arrested, according to Gilbert Police. He was booked into Maricopa County jail. 

Court documents show Cole admitted to squeezing his son until he couldn't breathe anymore.  In court, attorney's for the state say Cole wrote a letter apologizing to his wife for hurting their son.  He also told investigators that he killed him because he was angry with his wife.

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

The following is InTown Suites' statement regarding the October 5th incident at their Gilbert property:

"The InTown Suites family is deeply saddened about the tragic event that occurred at our Gilbert, Arizona location on October 5, 2011. Our thoughts and sympathies are with little Alex and his loved ones. We continue to work with the Gilbert Police Department and respectfully defer all questions regarding this ongoing investigation to them."