UPDATE OCT. 24, 2022
BELTON, Texas – The man arrested for the murder of a Belton child confessed to a family member about slaying the 3-year-old and told them where to find the body, police said.
Belton police said Jay Isaiah Allen, 33, made the call to Fort Worth on Saturday to say he "made a mistake."
He later took them to a nearby wooded area by his home, where family found the remains of 3-year-old Quintavius Trejo and contacted authorities.
Law enforcement quickly sent out a search for Allen shortly after and listed him as a "person of interest" in the slaying.
Authorities have charged him with capital murder and tampering with evidence connected to the boy's death.
A spokesperson for the Belton police department said the body has been sent away for an autopsy to determine the boy's cause of death.
Allen remains hospitalized at Baylor Scott & White - Hillcrest as he recovers from injuries after a high-speed pursuit and fiery crash on Saturday in Itasca.
This is a developing story.
ORIGINAL STORY
ITASCA, Texas – A Temple man arrested in connection with a 3-year-old's death remains hospitalized after sustaining injuries Saturday in a fiery crash near Itasca.
Law enforcement says a 33-year-old man was driving eastbound on the I-35 service road near FM 67 on Saturday evening when he crashed into a guardrail and his SUV caught fire.
DPS troopers made the arrest after engaging in a high-speed pursuit of the vehicle around 5 p.m., a law enforcement spokesperson told 25 News.
He was named a person of interest in the death of a 3-year-old near the 1300 block of Daniel Drive in Belton, whom police say was killed just hours before the chase.
The boy's body was found in a wooded area with signs of trauma.
Investigators have not released the boy's identity. Police say the Temple man taken into custody in the case is a relative of the child.
Authorities have released scant details about the child’s death or the relationship with the Temple man, when 25 News pressed for more details in the case.
A spokesperson with the Belton police said the man was rushed to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest hospital in Waco with injuries that aren’t life threatening, where he will remain before transport to the Bell County jail.
Multiple agencies responded to the accident, and first responders battled flames to free the man trapped inside the SUV.
Belton police believe he was traveling to Fort Worth, when troopers spotted his vehicle passing through Hill County.
25 News has chosen not to release the identity of the male relative as he has not yet been charged with a crime. Law enforcement sources tell us those charges are pending while he is receiving medical care.
