Man charged in boy’s death appears in Las Vegas courtroom

Joshua Oxford, standing, appears in Las Vegas Justice Court on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. He faces a murder charge in the death of 3-year-old Daniel Theriot. (David Ferrara/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A Las Vegas man charged with murder in the death of a 3-year-old boy was arraigned Monday, three days after he refused to appear in court.

Joshua Oxford, 40, told Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melanie Tobiasson that he understood the charges against him.

Police said Cassie Smith reported her son, Daniel Theriot, missing earlier this month at Sunset Park. But authorities suspected her story was a lie after no one at the park recalled seeing the woman and child together.

Smith also is facing a murder charge.

Smith and Oxford, her boyfriend, were arrested after Daniel’s body was found Sept. 3 in a remote area near Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Prosecutors have said the boy’s body showed signs of ongoing abuse.

Police said his 2-year-old brother was taken by Child Protective Services and transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where staffers discovered signs of physical abuse.

Oxford and Smith also are facing child abuse charges in connection with the younger boy’s injuries. They are being held at the Clark County Detention Center on $100,000 bail.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.