CLOVIS, N.M. (Court TV) — A New Mexico couple is facing first-degree felony charges in the death of their 1-year-old son, nearly a year after the child was found with extensive bruising and head trauma.
Donna Phillips, 22, and Onesimus Skywater, 33, are charged with Intentional Abuse of a Child Resulting in the Child’s Death.
Donna Phillips and Onesimus Skywater are charged in the death of their 1-year-old son, Calian Skywater. (Clovis Police Department)
On Nov. 27, 2024, detectives with the Clovis Police Department were notified that Calian Skywater had been pronounced dead at Plains Regional Medical Center. According to a media release, detectives at the hospital noted “extensive bruises on the child’s head, face, and arms.”
Phillips, the boy’s mother, told investigators that her son’s injuries were the result of rough play with a sibling and a fall from a high chair.
The investigation revealed that New Mexico’s Children Youth and Families Division (CYFD) had taken custody of Calian and his siblings at the time of his birth in Nov. 2023. The children were returned to Phillips’ care in Oct. 2024, approximately one month before Calian’s death.
An initial autopsy conducted by a medical examiner found that Calian had bruising on 70-80% of his body and noted trauma to his head. However, a final report in April 2025 logged the manner of death as “undetermined.”
Following the inconclusive report, Clovis police coordinated with the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office to have a doctor specializing in child abuse pediatrics review the case. They found that Calian’s injuries did not match the explanations provided by his parents and determined the boy’s death was the result of “fatal physical abuse.”
Arrest warrants were then issued for both Phillips and Skywater. The couple was taken into custody with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
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