Cops: Pair arrested in drug-related death of infant

A 27-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were arrested for allegedly killing Milton Galarza-Rojas — who was 9-months old — by giving him heroin and cocaine in July of 2011, police said.

Viameri Santana-Berrios of Helen Street near Sterner in Kensington, and Oscar Sanchez-Rivera, of Bethlehem are facing charges of murder, criminal conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and additional offenses in Galarza-Rojas' death, police said.

Around 2:35 p.m. on July 26, medics responded to a call about a child who was having difficulty breathing in a basement apartment on 7th Street near Wingohocking in Hunting Park. The boy was taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and was pronounced dead at 3:09 p.m., police said.

Galarza-Rojas was in the temporary care of his aunt, Santana-Berrios and her boyfriend, Sanchez-Rivera. The medical examiner later determined that exposure to cocaine and heroin was the cause of the infant's death.

Sanchez-Rivera was arrested April 13, and is being held in the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. Santana-Berrios was arrested May 10, and is being held in the Riverside Correctional Facility.

Both are being held without bail. Santana-Berrios is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 30, according to court documents. Sanchez Rivera will appear in court June 5 for a preliminary hearing.