De Queen Man Charged with Murder in Death of Six-Year-Old Stepson

DE QUEEN – A murder charge has been officially filed against a De Queen man suspected of killing his six-year-old stepson in late January.

Jesus Chavez-Arellano, 30, was charged with first-degree murder in Sevier County Circuit Court on Feb. 24. The charge stems from the death of his stepson on January 27. Chavez-Arellano is currently being held at the Sevier County Jail on a $250,000 bond, with an immigration hold placed on him by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to police records, the De Queen Police Department responded to a call from Walker Pediatric Care on the afternoon of January 27 regarding an unresponsive six-year-old child. The child was quickly transported to the Sevier County Medical Center but was pronounced deceased at 3:15 p.m. after attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Chavez-Arellano was immediately identified as a suspect, as he was the sole caretaker of the child between 6:45 a.m. and 2:32 p.m. that day, the time leading up to when the child was taken to the pediatric care center.

Staff at Walker Pediatric Care worked urgently to provide care to the child before his transfer to the hospital, but tragically, the child could not be saved. The child’s body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy, which revealed the cause of death as “internal bleeding from multiple blunt force traumas to the abdomen area.”

Chavez-Arellano’s arraignment is scheduled for March 6. The case continues to be investigated as authorities work to uncover more details surrounding the tragic death of the young boy.