Topline: Police say the 1-year-old had bruising on up to 80% of his body, and medical experts ruled the injuries consistent with fatal abuse.
Published: September 15, 2025 8:00 am ET
Must Read
Donna Phillips, left, and Onesimus Skywater (via Clovis Police Department)
CLOVIS, NM — Nearly ten months after the death of a 1-year-old boy in New Mexico, his parents have been arrested on charges of intentional child abuse resulting in death, following what investigators called a “diagnostic” case of fatal physical abuse.
According to a media release issued Wednesday by the Clovis Police Department through Chief Trevor Thron’s office, the arrests of Donna Phillips, 22, and Onesimus Skywater, 33, followed an extensive investigation into the November 2024 death of their son, Calian Skywater.
The case began on November 27, 2024, when Clovis detectives were notified that the child had been brought to Plains Regional Medical Center and was pronounced dead on arrival. Officers responding to the hospital observed extensive bruising on Calian’s head, face, and arms. Phillips told investigators that her son had been roughhousing with a sibling and had also fallen from a high chair.
But over the following months, that explanation began to unravel.
Investigators learned that Calian and his siblings had been placed in foster care immediately after his birth in November 2023, under the authority of the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Division (CYFD). Just a month before his death, in October 2024, the children were returned to the custody of Phillips, according to the Clovis Police Department.
An autopsy conducted by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator revealed that Calian had suffered bruising across 70–80% of his body, as well as significant head trauma. Despite the extensive injuries, the child’s death was initially logged as “undetermined” in OMI’s final report, which was received by detectives in April 2025.
Detectives then worked in coordination with the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and consulted a pediatrician specializing in child abuse cases. That doctor reviewed all available information, including autopsy findings, interviews with the parents, and evidence from a search of the family’s home.
On September 8, the results of that review came in. The doctor concluded that Calian’s injuries were not consistent with the account provided by his parents, stating that “the totality of the findings present are diagnostic of fatal physical abuse inflicted upon Calian.”
Based on that conclusion, arrest warrants were issued for both Phillips and Skywater on charges of intentional child abuse resulting in death, a first-degree felony. The two were taken into custody with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
Clovis Police also confirmed that Calian’s siblings have since been placed with a foster family in New Mexico.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Parents of Calian Skywater Arrested in New Mexico After Investigation
Police say the 1-year-old had bruising on up to 80% of his body, and medical experts ruled the injuries consistent with fatal abuse.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 15, 2025 8:00 am ET
Donna Phillips, left, and Onesimus Skywater (via Clovis Police Department)
CLOVIS, NM — Nearly ten months after the death of a 1-year-old boy in New Mexico, his parents have been arrested on charges of intentional child abuse resulting in death, following what investigators called a “diagnostic” case of fatal physical abuse.
According to a media release issued Wednesday by the Clovis Police Department through Chief Trevor Thron’s office, the arrests of Donna Phillips, 22, and Onesimus Skywater, 33, followed an extensive investigation into the November 2024 death of their son, Calian Skywater.
The case began on November 27, 2024, when Clovis detectives were notified that the child had been brought to Plains Regional Medical Center and was pronounced dead on arrival. Officers responding to the hospital observed extensive bruising on Calian’s head, face, and arms. Phillips told investigators that her son had been roughhousing with a sibling and had also fallen from a high chair.
But over the following months, that explanation began to unravel.
Investigators learned that Calian and his siblings had been placed in foster care immediately after his birth in November 2023, under the authority of the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Division (CYFD). Just a month before his death, in October 2024, the children were returned to the custody of Phillips, according to the Clovis Police Department.
An autopsy conducted by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator revealed that Calian had suffered bruising across 70–80% of his body, as well as significant head trauma. Despite the extensive injuries, the child’s death was initially logged as “undetermined” in OMI’s final report, which was received by detectives in April 2025.
Detectives then worked in coordination with the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and consulted a pediatrician specializing in child abuse cases. That doctor reviewed all available information, including autopsy findings, interviews with the parents, and evidence from a search of the family’s home.
On September 8, the results of that review came in. The doctor concluded that Calian’s injuries were not consistent with the account provided by his parents, stating that “the totality of the findings present are diagnostic of fatal physical abuse inflicted upon Calian.”
Based on that conclusion, arrest warrants were issued for both Phillips and Skywater on charges of intentional child abuse resulting in death, a first-degree felony. The two were taken into custody with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
Clovis Police also confirmed that Calian’s siblings have since been placed with a foster family in New Mexico.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Parents of Calian Skywater Arrested in New Mexico After Investigation
Police say the 1-year-old had bruising on up to 80% of his body, and medical experts ruled the injuries consistent with fatal abuse.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 15, 2025 8:00 am ET
Donna Phillips, left, and Onesimus Skywater (via Clovis Police Department)
CLOVIS, NM — Nearly ten months after the death of a 1-year-old boy in New Mexico, his parents have been arrested on charges of intentional child abuse resulting in death, following what investigators called a “diagnostic” case of fatal physical abuse.
According to a media release issued Wednesday by the Clovis Police Department through Chief Trevor Thron’s office, the arrests of Donna Phillips, 22, and Onesimus Skywater, 33, followed an extensive investigation into the November 2024 death of their son, Calian Skywater.
The case began on November 27, 2024, when Clovis detectives were notified that the child had been brought to Plains Regional Medical Center and was pronounced dead on arrival. Officers responding to the hospital observed extensive bruising on Calian’s head, face, and arms. Phillips told investigators that her son had been roughhousing with a sibling and had also fallen from a high chair.
But over the following months, that explanation began to unravel.
Investigators learned that Calian and his siblings had been placed in foster care immediately after his birth in November 2023, under the authority of the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Division (CYFD). Just a month before his death, in October 2024, the children were returned to the custody of Phillips, according to the Clovis Police Department.
An autopsy conducted by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator revealed that Calian had suffered bruising across 70–80% of his body, as well as significant head trauma. Despite the extensive injuries, the child’s death was initially logged as “undetermined” in OMI’s final report, which was received by detectives in April 2025.
Detectives then worked in coordination with the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and consulted a pediatrician specializing in child abuse cases. That doctor reviewed all available information, including autopsy findings, interviews with the parents, and evidence from a search of the family’s home.
On September 8, the results of that review came in. The doctor concluded that Calian’s injuries were not consistent with the account provided by his parents, stating that “the totality of the findings present are diagnostic of fatal physical abuse inflicted upon Calian.”
Based on that conclusion, arrest warrants were issued for both Phillips and Skywater on charges of intentional child abuse resulting in death, a first-degree felony. The two were taken into custody with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
Clovis Police also confirmed that Calian’s siblings have since been placed with a foster family in New Mexico.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
