WORCESTER — A Worcester man has been indicted on a murder charge in connection with the death of his 4-year-old daughter, as well as child abuse-related charges involving two other children, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.
Francisco Ortiz, 34, of Worcester, was indicted on Friday, June 20, 2025, by a Worcester County Grand Jury on one count of murder and one count of improper storage of a firearm. He also faces three counts each of permitting bodily injury to a child and reckless endangerment of a child.
Ortiz had previously been arraigned in Worcester Central District Court on October 16, 2024, on charges including assault and battery on a child with substantial bodily injury, permitting substantial bodily injury to a child, assault and battery, two counts of permitting bodily injury to a child, and reckless endangerment of a child. He has remained in state custody since his initial arraignment. The indictment moves the case to Worcester Superior Court, where he is expected to be arraigned at a later date.
As previously reported by News Link Live, the charges stem from an October 15, 2024, incident in which Ortiz called 911. Responding officers found his daughter unresponsive, cold to the touch, and naked from the waist down, with feces on various parts of her body, including her socks and feet. An officer also noted she was bleeding from her mouth and lips, according to Assistant District Attorney Courtney Sans.
The child was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed she had a skull fracture inconsistent with a fall from a kitchen table, as Ortiz had initially claimed. Doctors said the injury resembled trauma from a two-story fall and also discovered multiple rib fractures in various stages of healing.
Two other children — ages 2 and 6 — were also found in Ortiz’s apartment. Both were described as malnourished and had visible injuries, with the 6-year-old testing positive for fentanyl. The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took custody of the surviving children.
Ortiz lived at 11 Sever Street in the Sever Square Apartment complex with his mother and served as the children’s primary caretaker. The children’s mother was involved part-time, and all three adults reportedly denied any abuse.
