Missing Boy Found Dead, Two Arrested

A body believed to be that of a toddler reported missing from a Corona park was found in a shallow grave in San Bernardino County, and the boy's mother and her boyfriend were arrested by homicide detectives.

The 2 1/2-year-old boy was reported missing about 6 p.m. Sunday from Lincoln Park, in the 1800 block of Lincoln Avenue, where his mother claimed her son had been playing with other children during a family Mother's Day outing.

But Corona police Sgt. Jerry Pawluczenko said investigators believe the boy's mother and boyfriend made up the story, and the child may have been dead since Saturday.

"Things just weren't adding up," he said of the pair's statements about the child's disappearance.

The boyfriend, 37-year-old Naresh Narine, was booked on suspicion of murder, torture and child abuse causing injury or death. The mother, 23-year- old Belinda Magana, was booked on suspicion of child abuse and being an accessory to murder.

Narine was being held without bail at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Magana was also being held there, in lieu of $15,000 bail.

"It was learned that the child was never in the custody of the family while at the park," Pawluczenko told reporters. "It was also determined that the child had received injuries that were caused by both parties and was the victim of a homicide."

He said the body was recovered in the Lytle Creek area, just south of Wrightwood.

Corona police Lt. Mark Johnson said detectives learned of the location, which he described as "deep up in the hills," during interviews with the suspects, as well as "a few other individuals."

"This is a very critical stage in the investigation," Johnson said. "We're still trying to get everything nailed down."

The detective said the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office was handling the autopsy, and a positive identification and exact cause of death should be known within the next several days.

According to Pawluczenko, the suspects had been living together at a residence in the 1400 block of Hearthside Drive for the last five months.

He said the 2 1/2-year-old boy, whose name was not disclosed, may have been killed at the home.

The whereabouts of the child's father were not immediately known, Pawluczenko said.

The boy's 4 1/2-year-old brother was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services, according to Pawluczenko.