Police arrested a second person Wednesday on suspicion of killing a 3-year-old Santa Maria boy in June.

Gabriel Peralta, 32, of Santa Maria, was taken into custody in connection with the death of Gilbert Dominguez, Santa Maria police said. He was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

His longtime girlfriend, Sylvia Dominguez, was arrested shortly after the boy’s death. She has been charged with murder and felony assault resulting in the death of a child under 8 years old. She has pleaded not guilty, and is next due in Superior Court on Sept. 4.

Dominguez remained in county jail Wednesday without the option of bail, according to a jail spokesman.

Dominguez, 27, was Gilbert’s foster mother and aunt.

Peralta and Dominguez have children together, and were living together when Gilbert died, police said.

Dominguez’s three biological children were taken into foster care, police said shortly after her arrest.

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Police have not revealed the specific cause of the toddler’s death, or discussed what roles they believe Dominguez and Peralta played in the crime.

An autopsy conducted by the county Coroner’s Office shortly after Gilbert’s death was inconclusive, and further toxicological and lab tests were being conducted.

Lt. Dan Ast said Wednesday that police are confident both Peralta and Dominguez are linked to Gilbert’s death, but said he could not go into details on the “sensitive domestic violence case.”

Police had been investigating the case since Gilbert died, Ast said, and developed enough evidence to link Peralta to the boy’s death.

More arrests were not anticipated, he said, but the investigation is continuing.

Emergency crews reportedly responded on June 11 to an apartment in the 1000 block of West Liberty Street, where they found Gilbert not breathing.

Investigators were summoned because of bruising, cuts and visible swelling over the majority of the boy’s body, police have said.

Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santamariatimes.com.

August 7, 2008