RIVERSIDE – On Dec. 11, 2020, a grand jury indictment was unsealed in the case of Bryce McIntosh for the 2019 murder of his 8-year-old son, Noah.
McIntosh, 34, of Corona, is charged with one count of murder with a special circumstance allegation of torture, and one count of willful child cruelty. The special circumstance allegation makes McIntosh eligible for the death penalty. A decision whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a future date by DA Mike Hestrin.
While the DA’s Office had already filed the same charges via a criminal complaint against the defendant, due to numerous delays in the case moving forward to a preliminary hearing a decision was made to present the case to a Riverside County criminal grand jury. On Nov. 19, 2020, the grand jury indicted the defendant, therefore binding McIntosh over for trial.
By California law, a finding by a judge at a preliminary hearing or an indictment by a grand jury are equally acceptable to hold a defendant over for trial.
McIntosh now has a trial readiness conference scheduled for Feb. 18, 2021, in Dept. 41 at the Hall of Justice in Riverside.
In March 2019, Corona police were called by Noah’s mother to check on her son at Bryce McIntosh’s Corona apartment. She told police that McIntosh told her Noah had been missing for several days but he had not been reported to police as missing.
Further investigation revealed that McIntosh had been abusing Noah which included the boy being handcuffed and held in hot and cold water for hours at a time.
Corona police, assisted by the FBI, determined that McIntosh’s cell phone had been in an area of Aguanga in Southwest Riverside County in early March 2019. Authorities searched the area and found a paper with the words “Noah M” on it, a trash can, latex gloves, empty bottles of drain cleaner, and a plastic trash bag with residue inside consistent with blood. Riverside County sheriff’s Human Remain Detection canines altered to the inside of the trash can and the plastic bag. Another search was conducted in the Temescal Canyon area of Riverside County where other items of evidence were located.
A search warrant was served at McIntosh’s apartment during which authorities utilized a plumbing service. Authorities were told that the “trap” in the bathtub plumbing was cleaner than a normal trap should have been given the age of the building.
The case RIF2010203, is being prosecuted by Chief Deputy DA John Henry and Deputy DA Nik Peterson.
Information provided by Riverside District Attorney’s Office
