Father of dead 4-year-old girl charged with murder, sexual assault

The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that detectives have arrested a Winters father in the drowning death of his 4-year-old daughter.

Markeese Carter, 26, was booked into the Yolo County jail on multiple charges, including murder, sexual assault, child endangerment and assault on a peace officer.

Officials said Yolo deputies were dispatched to the area of Owings Court and Shams Way near Winters at about 5 p.m. on Sunday on a report of a possible drowning in nearby Putah Creek.

Deputies found a 4-year-old girl who was unresponsive. Emergency teams subsequently transported the girl to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead after live-saving efforts were unsuccessful.

Officials said an autopsy was conducted Monday morning, and a ruling on the cause of death is pending.

The identity of the victim has not yet been released, and the circumstances of the child’s death are under investigation.

Anyone with additional information regarding the incident is urged to contact Yolo Detective Sgt. Kurt Zeiler at (530) 668-5280.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Father of dead 4-year-old girl charged with murder, sexual assault."