Mason Dominguez, born January 15, 2018, was found dead in a freezer in the garage of a Las Vegas home on February 22, 2022. His mother, Dahsia Maldonado, had moved in with her boyfriend Brandon Toseland in March 2021. On December 11, 2021, Mason became ill and his mother wanted to seek medical care, but Toseland refused. Toseland took the child into a locked bedroom and later told the mother that Mason had died. He then held the mother captive for approximately ten weeks, handcuffing her and confining her to a bedroom. The mother eventually smuggled sticky notes with her 7-year-old daughter to the girl's elementary school, alerting officials that she was being held against her will and feared her son was dead. Police detained Toseland and found Mason's body concealed in a trash bag inside a freezer, hidden under a false cardboard bottom. An autopsy revealed a constellation of internal injuries including blunt force trauma to the abdomen, bruising to the torso and extremities, and a bite mark to the left arm. Toseland was charged with 12 felonies including murder, child abuse, and kidnapping, and pleaded not guilty.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Document 4 (Review-Journal) states: "Prosecutors have said Mason suffered a 'constellation of internal injuries,' including blunt force trauma to his abdomen, bruising to his torso and extremities, and a bite mark to his left arm." These are clearly inflicted injuries consistent with physical abuse.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The Review-Journal article (document 3) states: "Mason's mother told police that the boy became ill on Dec. 11 and that she wanted to seek medical care, but Toseland told her she could not." Toseland also "did not attempt to contact police or medical personnel" after the child reportedly stopped breathing. This constitutes a clear case of medical neglect—denying a sick child access to medical care.
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Document 4 states that Mason suffered a "constellation of internal injuries," including "blunt force trauma to his abdomen, bruising to his torso and extremities, and a bite mark to his left arm." The variety and distribution of these injuries suggest a pattern of deliberate cruelty rather than a single incident. Additionally, Document 3 describes how Toseland took Mason into a bedroom, barricaded the door, and prevented the mother from entering "for a considerable amount of time," and that the child was denied medical care when ill. The mother was also held captive, handcuffed, and confined. The overall pattern of control, the child's isolation from his mother, the denial of medical treatment, and the constellation of inflicted injuries together imply prolonged, deliberately cruel treatment of the child.
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Brandon Toseland, the mother's boyfriend, was arrested and charged with murder in Mason's death. Document 2 identifies the suspect as "the mother's boyfriend, a man in his 30s." Document 3 identifies him as "Brandon Toseland" and states he was the woman's boyfriend who "had dated the woman for 11 months." Document 4 states he was "arrested Feb. 22 after the body of his girlfriend's son, Mason Dominguez, was found in a freezer at his northeast valley home."
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The fatality report (document 1) states: "CCDFS has no prior CPS history for this child or member of the child's family." However, it also states: "CCDFS has the following prior CPS history for a relevant non-relative member of the household: 8/25/2017 – A report was received alleging neglect. Upon conclusion of the requisite investigation, the allegations were found unsubstantiated." While this prior CPS report was not for this child or his biological siblings, it was for a member of the household (likely Toseland) and was documented as relevant to this case. The report predates Mason's death and involved the same household member who is now charged with this child's murder.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Brandon Toseland was arrested on February 22, 2022, and charged with murder in connection to Mason's death. Document 2 states: "A suspect was identified, and an arrest was made in connection to the child's death" and the suspect "faces charges of kidnapping and open murder." Document 4 lists multiple charges including murder, child abuse, kidnapping, and battery constituting domestic violence by strangulation.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple documents reference domestic violence by Toseland. Document 2 states the mother "said her boyfriend had abused her, and she had not been allowed to leave the house." Document 3 reports the mother told police "Toseland had tied her up, handcuffed her and taken away her cellphone." Document 4 includes "battery constituting domestic violence by strangulation" among the charges and states that "Toseland became possessive and controlling after she moved in." Document 3 also details Toseland's prior domestic violence arrests in 2013 and 2018.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 3 quotes Toseland's public defender, Scott Coffee, as saying: "There's certainly the specter of mental health concerns with this." This is a direct reference to mental health concerns regarding the caregiver (Toseland).
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 3 details Toseland's prior criminal history separate from this incident. Under the heading "Suspect's prior arrests," it states: "Toseland was arrested in 2019 on a warrant stemming from a domestic violence charge the year before" — "In 2018, Toseland accused his girlfriend at the time of cheating on him and struck her twice." It also states: "Toseland also was arrested on a domestic battery charge after he punched a female relative several times in the face following an argument in September 2013." Both prior cases were eventually dismissed.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerged from the source texts. The case was discovered through an extraordinary act by the child's 7-year-old sister, who smuggled notes from her captive mother to school officials. Document 3 reports that the mother "was able to smuggle multiple 'sticky notes' with her 7-year-old daughter to the girl's elementary school." An 8-foot deep hole was discovered in the backyard, which police believed was intended as a grave for Mason's body. The body was concealed in a freezer inside a trash bag "hidden under a false cardboard bottom and multiple items of food," surrounded by "multiple odor absorption bags, fans and an air filtration unit." The mother's husband had died in January 2021 of an "unknown respiratory illness," and Toseland was described as an acquaintance of the deceased husband. Prosecutors retained the right to pursue the death penalty. Toseland filed a counterclaim in a civil suit alleging the mother helped "preserve" the body, though she faces no criminal charges and denies this. Additionally, Document 5 describes a dispute over home security camera footage, with the defense claiming five cameras recorded to a server, but the service provider (Cox Communications) stated no footage existed.
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