The Las Vegas man accused of murdering his girlfriend’s four-year-old son and keeping his body in a freezer in the garage for six weeks made his first appearance in court.
On Wednesday, 35-year-old Brandon Toseland appeared in a Las Vegas court where he faces two kidnapping charges and an additional charge of open murder in the death of a four-year-old boy, who has been identified as Mason Dominguez by family members.
Mason’s body was found in the freezer of his mother’s northeast Las Vegas home on Tuesday after she sent a note to school with her eldest daughter that said she was being held against her will in the home she shared with Toseland.
Prosecutors revealed in court that the letter written by the mother, who has not been identified, also specified she hadn’t seen her son since December 11 and that she assumed he was dead. Clark County Detention cENTER
Toseland is scheduled for a following court appearance next Monday, February 28.
Brandon Toseland appeared in a Las Vegas court where he faces two kidnapping charges and an additional charge of open murder in the death of his girlfriend’s son, 4
35-year-old Brandon Toseland (pictured) faces two kidnapping charges and an additional charge of open murder in the death of a four-year-old Mason Dominguez
Mason Dominguez (pictured) is now being remembered by family members who said the preschooler ‘ was just like any other 4-year-old – happy, sweet, intelligent, very out-going!’
Mason’s mother (left) told officers during an interview that she was being abused by Toseland, and had been instructed not leave the house, enter the garage or ask about her missing child
The note also said she had not seen Mason since December 11.
Prosecutors revealed the preschooler was found with visible injuries, but no cause of death was revealed pending autopsy results.
The boy’s mother, who has not been identified, has not been charged.
After school officials informed police of the letter, Mason’s mother and Toseland, who is not the father of either child, were detained and detectives searched the home where they later found his body in a freezer in the garage.
The mother told officers during an interview that she was being abused by Toseland, and had been instructed not leave the house, enter the garage or ask about her missing child, the police said.
She went on to say that she believed her son, who she had not seen since December 11, was dead.
‘Anybody who is going through situations where you feel you cannot handle a child, you can bring that child to a hospital, you can bring that child to a fire station, you can call 211, there are a lot of resources out there,’ Lt. Ray Spencer said following Toseland’s arrest.
Prosecutors revealed the preschooler (pictured) was found with visible injuries, but no cause of death was revealed pending autopsy results
The young boy was found dead in a freezer after officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department searched the residence
Mason’s body was found in the freezer of his mother’s Las Vegas home after she sent a note to school with her eldest daughter (left) that said she was being held against her will in the home
Patrol officers saw the mother and her boyfriend leave the home, and detained them before detectives began searching the house at around 4.30pm
Las Vegas homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said the mother told police that she had not seen her child alive since December 11
Young Mason is now being remembered by heartbroken family members who said the preschooler ‘was just like any other 4 year old, happy, sweet, intelligent, very out-going!’
‘On February 22, 2022, My family had discovered our sweet Mason was murdered by people who, he thought he could trust,’ his relatives posted on a GoFundMe for his burial costs.
‘When my family or I couldn’t see Mason we missed him & his sister very much but to know we won’t ever see Mason again hurts the whole family 1000x more. We had always hoped we would be able to see him again , at least once… just to give him a hug ? A kiss & tell him we love him … To know Mason was loved , he will be living on through all his family members, friends, his dad & most importantly his big sister.’
According to the fundraiser, Mason’s father died from pneumonia last year at 29-years-old and the family plans on buying the burial lot right next to his dad.
One neighbor told KVVU-TV: ‘We’ve been a quiet neighborhood. We are a new, quiet neighborhood.’
They went to to say that they had contacted the HOA this month after becoming suspicious of a U-Haul truck parked outside the home where the boy was found.
The neighbor added: ‘Within the last week, week and a half. It has been sitting in front of that house, and we’ve been contacting HOA again.’
