Police: Autopsy will determine if Merced baby died of natural causes or suspicious circumstances

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- UPDATE: The Merced County sheriff's coroner completed an autopsy on the child who died overnight Tuesday.

However, they are not disclosing the results because the death is still under investigation.

Investigators are still speaking with the young parents, along with several other witnesses to determine how the baby died.

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Neighbors, like Willie Evans, woke to find police collecting evidence from inside an apartment as they investigate the death of a two-month-old baby in South Merced.

"Phew. It's tragic," Evans said.

Police received a call for a baby not breathing at an apartment complex off H and 12 streets early Tuesday morning.

The baby girl was then taken to a local hospital but later died.

West says investigators are sifting through all the evidence in hopes that any of it may help in answering their questions.

"We need to now speak for the deceased child with this investigation and be as methodical as possible," said Capt. Bimley West.

Evans says the parents of the child invited him over to hang out and was with them for hours before the incident.

"They hit me up with a text saying wanna smoke, and all of that so I just came out," he said.

He says the parents of the baby girl are 16 years old, and that they adore their child.

"He's a great father. He loves that kid. He always talks about the kid," Evans said.

Police didn't confirm the parents' ages but say they are young. They are working to determine what occurred before the 911 call.

"There may be more than just the parents at the residence," West said. "Our investigators have made some determination of the history of what transpired before we were called, that is a part of the investigation. We're sure there (are) many more people we will be contacting."

West says there were "some physical concerns" the child had when emergency crews arrived, and that's being looked into as the investigation moves forward.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Merced Police Department.