Child Dies After Spending Day in a Backpack

27 year old Trevor Marquis Rowe of Lubbock, Texas was arrested at approximately 1 am on Wednesday, January 8th and charged with capitol murder after 10 month old Marion Jester-Montoya died while in his care.

According to a statement made by the Lubbock Police Department, Rowe picked up Marion from the residence he shared with his girlfriend, Marion's mother, and took her with him to work.

Before the start of the work day, he "crammed" her into a backpack and put the backpack in the front passenger floorboard of his vehicle.  Periodically throughout the day, he told police that he checked on her.

Finding that she had escaped the backpack at one point, he put her back inside and re-closed it.

When he checked on her at lunch, he reportedly found her “lightly crying but breathing.”  It is reported that he spent the rest of his lunch break hitting a fast food drive through and stopping at two stores.

When he returned to work after his lunch break, he put Marion in the trunk of the vehicle by way of the backseat pass through.

It wasn't until after work, shortly before 5 pm, that Rowe checked on Marion again and this time she was not breathing.  According to the police statement, he called 911 and drove to another location to administer CPR and await the arrival of Emergency Medical Services.

Rowe was previously arrested March 5, 2018 on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child.  Two children were involved in the matter which the court later decided to dismiss “in the interest of justice.”

“Trevor Rowe advised he knew that placing a person into a trunk was dangerous to human life,” the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported the warrant for his arrest as saying. “(He) advised that placing someone into a backpack was even more dangerous.”  He evidently also told police during his interview that he was aware Marion had not eaten since about 8 pm the previous night.

Rowe is in custody at the Lubbock County Detention Center in lieu of $2 million bond.  His next court date is not known at this time.

A fundraiser has been established by Marion's family on Facebook to help with funeral expenses.  Within three days, the fundraiser has already surpassed it's goal amount.