Parents arrested a year after toddler drowned in pool

CHINO HILLS, Calif. - A year after 2-year-old Melanie Garcia died, her parents have been arrested for child endangerment.

On June 13, 2021 deputies from the Chino Hills Station were called to the hospital after a two-year-old died. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, the child was taken to the hospital by her parents who found her unresponsive in the pool of their home.

Detectives learned that Melanie woke up, went to the backyard where her parents found her in the shallow area of the pool.

During the investigation, detectives located a marijuana cultivation and unregistered firearms in the home. According to detectives, the parents, Roberto Garcia-Negrete, 23, and Samantha Borrayo, 23, were under the influence.

After a yearlong investigation, the District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges of child endangerment for both parents and weapons charges for possession of the assault rifle on Roberto Negrete. 

On August 4, both parents were arrested and booked into the West Valley Detention Center and later bailed out on $250,000.