Authorities name the mother’s boyfriend as a suspect in the murder of a three-year-old boy
California Politics
Taryn LunaFebruary 24, 2024
Authorities have released the identity of a three-year-old boy who was killed in his Lancaster home Tuesday night and have described his mother’s boyfriend as a person of interest in the brutal slaying.
The toddler, David Hernandez, was found with his throat slit in the 43400 block of 57th Street W when officers arrived around 10:55 p.m., officials said. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported his manner of death as a homicide and the cause as “an incised neck wound.”
The Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that Rena Naulls, 39, of Lancaster, was transported to the hospital after allegedly attempting to take his own life at the scene.
Investigators said Naulls is the live-in boyfriend of the victim’s mother and called him “a person of interest” in the case. Naulls was hospitalized and is in stable condition, police said.
The Times previously reported that a source with knowledge of the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said a family friend went to the home at the urging of one of the boy’s relatives, leaving the child with found a slit throat in a bathtub and called 911. .
Three of the child’s older siblings, ages 9, 11 and 14, were unharmed and were taken into protective custody by the Department of Children and Family Services, according to the source and the Sheriff’s Department. The Times reported that the family had no prior contact with the Department of Children and Family Services.
No arrests have been made.

Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.