A 19-year-old Garner man has been charged with murder after his stepson died in a bathtub, court records state.
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Angel Israel Deras Rivas was arrested by Garner police on Sunday and charged with negligent felony child abuse-serious bodily injury and felony murder, according to an arrest warrant.
He is accused of leaving a 14-month old child unattended in a bathtub “full of water” while caring for the child, the warrant states.
The murder charge alleges Deras Rivas “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder” the child, identified in the warrant only as “M. DO.”
The warrant says Deras Rivas is the husband of the toddler’s mother. Wake County records indicate the couple married in April.
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The child’s mother obtained permanent sole custody of the toddler last month after a judge found the toddler’s biological father tried to kidnap her while she was pregnant and never visited the child after his birth, court documents show.
A permanent custody ruling signed last month indicates Deras Rivas watched the toddler while his wife worked at a bakery on Sundays.
He is being held in the Wake County Detention Center without bail and is due in court Monday afternoon, court records show.
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This story was originally published August 3, 2026 at 8:14 AM.