Father's contradictory statements led to arrest in Palmdale child death case, investigators say

PALMDALE, Calif. (KABC) – Detectives are continuing to investigate why a toddler became unresponsive and died in an east Palmdale park on Wednesday.

After questioning the toddler's father, investigators decided to arrest him.

“This was based on some inconsistencies in the statements he made to investigators regarding the events surrounding his son's medical emergency,” said Lt. Michael Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Gomez said the child was with his father when the tragedy occurred after 8 a.m. Wednesday morning at Melville J. Courson Park in the 38,000 block of 10th Street East in Palmdale.

“It's basically a cover-up of a crime. At this point we would call it child endangerment,” Gomez said.

The child's death remains a mystery for now, and investigators are investigating the case as a fatality. The child's father, Schaffer Grindstaff, 29, remains in jail in connection with his son's death. His bail is set at $1 million.

Investigators are still waiting for an official statement on the cause of death from the coroner.

They also want to interview the child's mother.

“I'm trying to reach the mother to get a statement from her that just relates to the baby's medical history, anything she knows that might shed light on what happened,” Gomez said. “I'm trying to find out what led to the child's death.”