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A Fairfax County grand jury indicted a Bailey’s Crossroads man on aggravated-murder and felony child-abuse charges in connection with the March death of his 3-month-old daughter, according to the supplied account of the case.
Misael Lopez Gomez, 28, was indicted July 20, 2026. The charges are allegations, and his criminal responsibility had not been adjudicated in the supplied material.
Fairfax County police responded at about 7:32 p.m. March 27 to an apartment in the 3400 block of Lake Street after receiving a report that an infant was not breathing. Attempts were made to resuscitate the girl, but she was pronounced dead at a hospital that day.
An autopsy determined that the infant died from blunt force trauma, according to the account. Detectives and hospital staff reportedly found evidence consistent with abuse during the investigation.
Police arrested Lopez Gomez March 31. He was initially charged with second-degree murder and child abuse before prosecutors sought and obtained the aggravated-murder indictment.
At a July 8 preliminary hearing in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, the case was certified to a grand jury and moved toward circuit-court proceedings. During the hearing, a Commonwealth medical examiner testified about the extent of the child’s injuries and said the injuries caused her death, according to the supplied account.
A Fairfax County police detective also testified that Lopez Gomez admitted to law enforcement that he had repeatedly struck his daughter. That reported admission and the underlying conduct remain unadjudicated allegations.
The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said prosecutors sought the aggravated-murder charge based on the facts of the case. Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said, “Cases like this are so rare and egregious that the law recognizes the need for a higher penalty.”
“My office prioritizes the prosecution of serious, violent crimes, and will use the tools that the law provides to do so,” Descano said.
The supplied account describes Virginia’s aggravated-murder statute as covering the willful, deliberate and premeditated killing of a person younger than 14 by someone who is at least 21. It describes aggravated murder as a Class 1 felony carrying a mandatory life sentence and a fine of up to $100,000, with no parole eligibility when the convicted person was at least 18 at the time of the crime.
A Fairfax County Circuit Court hearing was scheduled for July 23 to determine a trial date. The supplied material does not provide the outcome of that hearing or any later changes to the charges or schedule.