Police investigating beating death of 2-year-old in Lowell

LOWELL (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Police are investigating the beating death of a 2-year-old in a multi-family home in Lowell, sources have confirmed to FOX25.

The child, Dean McCullough, was transported to Lowell General Hospital at around 2 p.m. where he was pronounced dead.

Police executed a search warrant on the home at 586 Bridge St. late Wednesday night.

The mother, 17-year-old Deanne Fontes, and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Brian Nutter, were interviewed by police for hours following the incident before being released.

Nutter says he checked on Dean in his upstairs crib before going downstairs to get milk. He says he heard Dean screaming and went back upstairs where he found Dean convulsing as if he were having a seizure.

Nutter and Fontes say they tried CPR and mouth-to-mouth on the boy before calling 911.

Fontes said her other son, 3-year-old Thomas, would often beat Dean and that the two of them were supposed to attend sibling rivalry class.

An autopsy is set to be performed. Fontes says she doesn’t know how her son died.