Father charged in beating death of his toddler

HOUSTON The incident happened in the 9700 block of Mesa Drive about 10:30am on January 20. Police say the suspect, Ernest Eugene Oveal, found his son Ernest Eugene Oveal Jr. in his bed with a soiled diaper and feces outside his diaper. Oveal placed his son on a training toilet inside the room and then left the room to tend to his other child. When he returned, Oveal found Ernest Jr. had thrown feces in the room. Oveal told police he then retrieved a belt and disciplined Ernest Jr. who became limp and stopped breathing.

Oveal, 25, is charged with injury to a child. Ernest Jr., 2, suffered head trauma and bruising to his body and was transported to Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital and then to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Houston police are awaiting autopsy results from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences to determine the toddler's cause of death. Police say the investigation is continuing.

Oveal is being held on $200,000 bond.