A man allegedly beat his wife to death before abandoning his daughter at a gas station in the Mojave Desert on Friday night, according to California police.
Deputies from Barstow Sheriff's Station in San Bernardino County were alerted after a 12-year-old girl walked into the Shell gas station on Cima Road at about 11:45 p.m. and asked for help.
A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department news release said: "A California Highway Patrol officer was at the location and contacted the child. When deputies arrived, the child indicated her father beat her mother and left her on the side of the road."
The sheriff's department statement, issued on Tuesday, added that the man had "dropped the child off at the gas station and fled."
The suspect was later identified as Jesus Jaimes-Rosas, 37, of Upland.
In the early hours of Saturday, November 26, police found Jaimes-Rosas' vehicle abandoned on a dirt road nearby.
The statement added: "A Sheriff's K9 unit also responded to the area and located Jaimes-Rosas with self-inflicted injuries. He was transported to a hospital and later released."
The body of his wife, Sonia Flores, 31, was discovered at 11:43 a.m. the same day.
Jaimes-Rosas was arrested for murder and is now being held at the High Desert Detention Center.
Newsweek has contacted San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for comment.
The department is urging anyone with information to contact its Specialized Investigations Division – Homicide Detail at 909-890-4908. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to wetip.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes intimate partner violence as "a serious public health problem" in the U.S.
One in five homicide victims in the U.S. are killed by an intimate partner, the CDC said.
It added: "Over half of female homicide victims in the United States are killed by a current or former male intimate partner."
Last week, Clayton County Sheriff's Office in Georgia arrested a Georgia man for shooting his wife dead and then going on the run for more than two months.
Ikuko Thurman, 42, is accused of killing Livingston Jett, 47, on September 9. Police said Thurman approached his wife and fired multiple shots while she was in a car in Lovejoy, south of Atlanta.
After his capture on November 22, Thurman was booked into the Clayton County Jail. He has now been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Anyone seeking help should call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a free and confidential hotline available 24/7 that can be reached on 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224. The hotline also provides information on local resources. For more information visit https://www.thehotline.org/.
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