A Phoenix mother is mourning the loss of her 4-month-old baby.
Francisco Martinez Alcantar was pronounced dead at John C. Lincoln hospital last Friday.
Family members tell ABC15, hospital staff notified police who showed up at the hospital, along with social workers, to start an investigation into his death.
The baby's mother Edith Jasive Martinez Alcantar sobbed while describing her boy as a "happy baby" who was always laughing.
A single mother working two janitorial jobs, Alcantar said she left her baby in the care of an unlicensed babysitter who came well recommended. Things went well for two weeks.
Last Friday, Alcantar said she worked the graveyard shift and then went to her second job in the morning. She got off work early, and headed over to the babysitter's place to pick up her son. She said nobody was home and the doors were locked.
Alcantar talked to a neighbor, who was related to the babysitter. The relative told Alcantar that the babysitter had left two older kids with the relative then left to go to a school function. The relative did not appear to know anything about Alcantar's child.
After waiting for more than 30 minutes, Alcantar said the babysitter finally got home. Alcantar said she would not allow her inside the home and denied having the child there at first, then came out of the house a little while later with the baby.
Alcantar said she immediately knew that something was wrong. The child was unconscious.
"His whole right side of the face was purple. He was purple. When I touched him, he was cold," sobbed Alcantar.
She rushed him to John C. Lincoln Hospital off Dunlap and Center Street. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"My heart stopped, my heart just fell to my stomach," said Mariana Soto, the baby's aunt.
She described the scene at the hospital as emotional chaos. Everyone was crying. The babysitter was also at the hospital, but was put in a separate room from the mother.
Soto said about five police officers showed up, along with a translator and social workers.
Soto said police questioned the Alcantar for about an hour, then spent almost two hours questioning the babysitter before questioning Alcantar again. Police then took the babysitter to police headquarters for further questioning.
ABC15 reached out to the Phoenix Police Department for a comment on this investigation.
A spokesman said:
"We are conducting a death investigation, at this point the case is pending the results of the Medical Examiner's Office examination. They will determine the cause and manner of death, before we proceed."
Family members said the autopsy was scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Alcantar said she was just hoping for justice.
"If she couldn't watch my baby she should have just told me. I just want to know why they just left my child in the house. Why did they do that to him?"
The single mother is now desperately trying to raise money to give her child a proper burial.
