DECATUR- Police and family confirm a 2-month-old baby has died following a crash in Van Buren County Friday night.
Officials say the little boy was hospitalized in critical condition following a two-vehicle crash on M-51 near 89th Avenue around 9 p.m. Friday. The baby has since passed away from his injuries. Family members identify him as Xavier Martinez and have started a GoFundMe page to help pay for memorial services.
Martinez’s mother, identified by relatives as 25-year-old Daria Malaga from Elkhart, Indiana, died at the scene.
Police say the two were in a vehicle that was hit head-on by a woman who crossed the center line on M-51. The driver of the other vehicle, a 42-year-old sustained multiple injuries in the crash but is expected to survive.
Police are looking into whether alcohol and speed factored into Friday’s crash and plan to forward the case to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office when they finish their investigation.
