Turlock mom held in girl's death

TURLOCK -- A woman is in jail, accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Monday.

Brandy Lee Rose Devine, 25, of Turlock was arrested on suspicion of murder, child endangerment and child neglect.

Police were dispatched to the 1100 block of North Denair Avenue about 12:30 p.m. for a report of a nonresponsive child, according to officer Mayra Lewis.

When they arrived, they found the 2-year-old dead.

After detectives interviewed Devine for several hours, she was taken into custody. Her other children, 4- and 6-year-old daughters and an infant son, are in the custody of child protective services, Lewis said.

She said all the children were at the family's home when their sister died.

An autopsy was performed on the child Tuesday, but Lewis would not release the child's name or the cause of death.

Reached Tuesday afternoon, Devine's family declined to comment about her arrest or her daughter's death. The family has been touched by violent death before. Devine's father, Danny Devine Jr., died in 2004 after an acquaintance stabbed him in the neck during an argument on Memorial Day.

In that case, police arrested Enrique "Henry" Caelis Alvarado two months later when he returned to Turlock for his brother's funeral. Alvarado pleaded guilty in 2005.

The girl's death marks the third homicide in Turlock this year. There was an officer-involved shooting April 16 and a fatal drive-by shooting in May. In the second case, a suspect was arrested in Idaho a month later.

Bee staff writer Erin Tracy can be reached at etracy@modbee.com or (209) 578-2366. Bee staff writer Patty Guerra can be reached at pguerra@modbee.com or (209) 578-2343.