Dad of Baby Justice arrested in infant’s death

Frank Rees has been arrested in the death of his infant son, Justice, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.

The office plans a news conference Wednesday to discuss Rees’ arrest and likely charges in the 2015 incident.

The baby’s mother, Samantha Green was sentenced in December to 15-years-to life in prison after a Yolo Superior Court judge rejected her plea for a new trial.

Green and her son were reported missing Feb. 22, 2015 by her mother and sister. The following afternoon, Green was located by authorities after she placed a panicked 911 call. She claimed she had been kidnapped and her baby was likely dead of exposure in Ridge Cut Slough near Knights Landing. Seventeen hours later, on Feb. 25 Justice Rees was found dead.

Rees, who testified at Green’s trial, was not charged at that time in the infant’s death. Defense attorneys allege Rees injected her with veterinary-size syringes of methamphetamine in the days before she headed to Knights Landing, and that contributed to what a defense psychologist said was a psychotic state marked by apocalyptic thoughts and hallucinations.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 4:19 PM.