LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The sister of a 4-year-old Las Vegas boy found deceased in a freezer drew a picture of her brother’s accused killer choking her, which was shown to a grand jury, the 8 News Now Investigators have confirmed.
Brandon Toseland, 36, is accused of killing Mason Dominguez. Police arrested Toseland on Feb. 22 after Mason’s mother was able to sneak messages into her 7-year-old daughter’s shoe.
Mason had undergone months of reported abuse at the hands of Toseland, his mother’s boyfriend, and was taken out of school to avoid teachers seeing his injuries, documents obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators earlier this year said.
Last month, a grand jury added two charges of child abuse involving the 7-year-old girl. The two charges allege Toseland choked the child with his arm and, in another alleged instance last year, with a vacuum cord, documents said.
Prosecutors showed the grand jury a drawing from the 7-year-old, which she said depicts Toseland choking her, records indicated.
The 7-year-old testified to the grand jury before the panel voted to add the new charges.
“So one time when I was playing with my cousins outside in the backyard, [Brandon] told me to come inside and then I went to the bathroom and then, uhm, I went to go wash my hands and then he was vacuuming and then he like unplugged the vacuum cord and then he used it and then he wrapped it around my neck and then he choked me,” the 7-year-old told the grand jury. “It felt like I was about to pass out.”
Prosecutors also asked the girl to describe her drawing.
“He was choking me and he was wearing like this white shirt and there was like little birds on it like how my dad would wear it,” she said. “And then he was choking me with his arm and then I was crying and then, I was crying and then he was mad and then one time he said that if you don’t stop, if you don’t stop crying then I’ll do it longer and harder.”
“And what’s this little thing under your eye here?” the prosecutor asked.
“I’m crying, it’s a tear,” she said.
Mason’s mother said she and her two children moved into Toseland’s home in March 2021. The home is located on Saddle Brook Park Drive, near the intersection of Carey Avenue and Lamb Boulevard in the northeast valley. Toseland’s two children from a previous relationship also lived in the home, but were not there all the time due to their mother having shared custody, documents said.
When police arrested Toseland in February after a traffic stop, officers noticed a set of handcuffs where Mason’s mother was sitting in the passenger seat. Toseland was also in possession of her phone, documents said.
Mason’s mother told police and a grand jury that she was frequently handcuffed or locked in a room after learning her son was deceased. Toseland never revealed to Mason’s mother that the boy’s body was in a freezer in the garage, she said.
Dominguez’s body was discovered inside Toseland’s northeast valley garage concealed in a trash bag in the freezer. Detectives believe Mason had been there for at least 10 weeks and that a large hole in the backyard may be a potential grave, the 8 News Now Investigators first reported earlier this year.
Mason’s mother told Metro police she had not seen Mason since Dec. 11 and feared he might be dead. In grand jury transcripts released earlier this year, the boy’s mother said Toseland would not let her leave the home they shared alone after he told her Mason was deceased.
Detectives also located a large hole in the backyard, which they described as a potential grave.
Grand jury transcripts also reveal Mason’s mother removed her son from his pre-kindergarten program in September 2021.
Prosecutors said they are considering the death penalty should Toseland be convicted. Toseland has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Police were alerted to the home after being contacted by Clark County School District Police when the 7-year-old girl brought a note to her teacher that her mother was being held against her will and did not know what happened to her younger child.
If you or someone you know is living with domestic violence, you can reach out for help by contacting SafeNest. You can call or text 24/7 to a confidential hotline phone number (702) 646-4981.
