Update: Toddler found dead in backyard tent at Richland home
Richland police are investigating the death of a toddler found dead Tuesday in a backyard.
Police were called to a house on the 2300 block of Camden Street, just east of the Highway 240 bypass, just after 10 a.m., according to emergency dispatch reports.
Dispatchers told medics that they were providing CPR instructions to a caller for a 1-year-old child.
When officers arrived they found the toddler’s body in the backyard in a tent, according to dispatch traffic.
Benton County Coroner Bill Leach confirmed to the Herald that the child was under 2 years old, and an autopsy was performed Wednesday, but could not release any other information due to the ongoing investigation. No cause of death has been released.
Richland police said Thursday in a social media post that the child was 18 months old.
Richland police could not be reached Thursday about the case.
Officers at the scene initially reported that the child had bruises on the face and was “obviously deceased,” later noting the toddler appeared to have been dead for some time.
Officers told dispatchers the child’s mother had been staying in the tent in the backyard, and described it as a crime scene.
A man connected to the home was reportedly seen leaving the area as officers were arriving. He was later taken into custody as he was walking down Wright Avenue.
The mother told officers she did not know what happened, according to conversations with emergency dispatchers.
Francisco Estrada Jr. was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence charges unrelated to the child’s death, according to the police department post.
He is being held on suspicion of domestic violence assault with strangulation, assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful imprisonment and interfering with reporting of domestic violence.
Richland police did not say if the victim is the child’s mother or whether he is a suspect in the child’s death.
Estrada refused to appear in Benton County Superior Court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday afternoon due to illness, his court-appointed attorney told the judge.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 12:47 PM.
