Baby boy is abused, then left home alone

WEST VALLEY CITY — A man accused of abusing his 13-month-old son and then leaving him home alone was arrested over the weekend.

Humberto Alvarez, 23, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of felony child abuse and one count of misdemeanor child abuse with neglect.

Other family members went out of town on Oct. 22, leaving the young boy and his 2-year-old sister, in the sole care of his father. When the family arrived home, near 6100 West and 4000 South, on Friday, they found the 13-month-old lying on the basement floor by himself, according to Salt Lake County Jail records. The toddler was taken to the hospital with severe bruising and trauma to his body, including a large bruise and cut on the back of his head, jail records state.

Police were contacted by doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center.

After tracking down the boy's father and interviewing him, detectives learned Alvarez had thrown a laundry basket at his son a few days earlier and hit him repeatedly with a shoe, according to jail records.

"The 13-month-old also had a broken leg, lacerations in his mouth and bruising all over his body," the report states. The 2-year-old girl was not injured.

— Pat Reavy