Leon Johnson (Source: Dallas County Jail)
MESQUITE, Texas - A Mesquite man has been arrested and charged with capital murder after his 9-month-old daughter was found "extremely malnourished" and "clearly deceased," according to an arrest affidavit.
The man, 22-year-old Leon Johnson, called emergency dispatch about the infant being non-responsive and not breathing. Dispatch told police the family tried CPR on the child multiple times and advised the "child was beyond help."
Police arrived at the home in the 3500 block of Byrd Dr. in Mesquite around 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2024. The officer was directed to the back of an ambulance where the infant was. The officer notes how the infant was pale and appeared extremely malnourished.
Ambulance personnel told police two adults met them in the driveway and handed them the infant. The infant was pronounced deceased immediately. The adults were identified as Leon Johnson and his sister.
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An officer did a protective sweep of the house and found a friendly, medium-sized dog upstairs, but the house was "in complete disarray and officers had to move objects out of the way as they moved through the house," according to the arrest affidavit.
Johnson told an officer his child, Maliyah Johnson, had not been eating for a couple of days and would throw up anything she ate. He told police he was supplementing Pedialyte to keep her hydrated, but was afraid she would overdose. He said that morning, he woke up at 9 a.m. and found her lying in vomit. He said he picked her up and was holding her. She spit up again and then made a "gurgling sound before she fell out of his arms."
Child Protective Services was called to investigate. Johnson told police he has had custody of the child for more than a month and a half.
Johnson was arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail. His bond has been set at $1,000,000.