HOUSTON, May 3 (UPI) -- Houston police identified a 6-month-old baby who was found dead in a refrigerator as Joseph Elijah Mouton.
The boy was found Wednesday morning when police were called to a Houston apartment by the baby's father, who reported he was having suicidal thoughts, the Houston Chronicle reported.
When police arrived at the apartment, the father, a 57-year-old whose name has not been released, was found unresponsive on the floor. When paramedics began working on him, he yelled and said he had killed his baby, police said.
The baby was found in the refrigerator, wrapped in a blanket, police said.
The father was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for self-inflicted wounds, the newspaper said. He has not yet been charged.
About a month ago, the baby's mother and father separated and the mother moved to Clear Lake to care for a sick relative, said Sgt. Ora Chandler.
The mother, who is in her 20s, told police she and the father had a volatile relationship and the father had a history of substance abuse and domestic violence. When she moved out of the apartment, she could not afford to take the baby with her and entrusted his care to the father.
"As a mom, she's in shock," Chandler said. "This is obviously something she never expected."
The baby's cause of death has yet to be determined, pending an autopsy, Chandler said.
"This is absolutely a beautiful baby," Chandler said. "This is one of those cases that really kind of tugs at your heart."
