Muscatine child killed, sister remains hospitalized; murder charges filed against Monmouth, Ill., man

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| Monday, December 20, 2004 12:25 PM CST | () comments

Muscatine Journal

MUSCATINE, Iowa � Bond was set at $2 million cash Monday morning for a Monmouth, Ill., man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 2-year-old Muscatine girl and willful injury to her 4-year-old sister.

Police said Angel Garcia-Miranda, 22, of 823 E. Broadway Ave., Monmouth, was arrested after Muscatine police and emergency personnel responded to a call at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at 1809 Hershey Ave. No other details of the incident were released by police or the Muscatine County Attorney's office this morning.

Garcia-Miranda made a brief initial appearance at 9 a.m. Monday in Muscatine County District Court, where attorneys, Judge David Newell, police, other court officials and the news media were the only ones present.

Officials did not confirm the name of the victims or the parents.

However, Jim and Mary Mathias, 1821 Hershey Ave., said Sunday night that they are landlords for the girls' mother and that her name is Melinda Enriquez. They also identified the dead child as Leeanna and her injured sister as Breeanna and said that Enriquez also has an infant child.

The state medical examiner's office confirmed Monday morning that an autopsy will be conducted today on Leeanna Enriquez, 2, of Muscatine.

Pam Grimm, the night supervisor at Unity hospital, said the body of the 2-year-old child was sent to Des Moines for an autopsy. The girls appeared to have multiple internal injuries, she said.

Police said the 4-year-old was transferred by helicopter to University Hospitals in Iowa City. Officials there declined to release any information on her condition. Federal law governing medical privacy requires the patient or a family member to approve the release of such information.

During the Monday morning court appearance, Newell issued a no-contact order for Garcia-Miranda. Later today, the judge is expected to set a preliminary hearing date.

Further details of this story will be published in Tuesday editions of the QUAD-CITY TIMES.