Healdsburg man accused of drowning daughter appears in court

HEALDSBURG (KTVU) -- The man accused of drowning his toddler daughter in the baptismal pool of a Catholic church appeared Tuesday in court.

Gerardo Mendoza Ordaz, 42, of Healdsburg, was formally charged in Sonoma County Superior Court with murder, assault on a child causing death and one count of child cruelty because he was accompanied by his 9-year-old son who apparently witnessed the drowning at St. John the Baptist Church when the incident allegedly occurred.

Judge Arthur Wick postponed all other criminal proceedings against Ordaz until Nov. 28 in order to allow the suspect to obtain a mental health evaluation. Ordaz, who was visibly distraught during the hearing, cried during part of the proceeding before he left the courtroom. Family members left immediately after the brief arraignment hearing.

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Healdsburg police announced the arrest of Ordaz on Monday, saying the father took his unresponsive daughter in the back lot of the police station Sunday around 8:30 p.m. while pleading for help. Authorities on Tuesday identified the slain girl as Maria Jose Ordaz-Chavarria and said her clothes were still wet when police found her.

Investigators said the girl was apparently drowned in a  baptismal pool at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, located in the 200 block of Matheson Street in Healdsburg, which is in Sonoma County.

Police say the father was naked, while the daughter was clothed. Another child, a 9-year-old boy was also there. He was partially clothed. 

The girl was taken to the hospital where she later died. 

In a written statement, church officials declined to comment about the case.

"Sunday night there was tragedy in the church; a little girl lost her life," said Sean Rodgers, a pastor at  the church. "When police finish the investigation we will know more. In the meantime, please pray for the family, and the parish community.”

Healdsburg police and Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl declined to say what Ordaz may have told authorities about the drowning.

Ordaz cried, squirmed in the seat of a wheelchair and uttered in Spanish as he looked toward his family in the back of the courtroom. He is being held under no bail in Sonoma County Jail and is represented by the 

Sonoma County Public Defender's Office.

Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi said the judge's order for a doctor's exam was definitely appropriate based on what she knew about the tragic incident.

Ordaz lived in unincorporated Sonoma County near Healdsburg with four children and their mother.

KTVU reporter Cristina Rendon and Bay City News contributed to this report.