This browser does not support the Video element.
Child's death may lead to new charges for Houston-area couple
Prosecutors are said to be seeking higher charges for a Spring mother and her boyfriend following the death of the woman's two-year-old daughter. FOX 26's Angie Rodriguez recounts the assault allegations and the Friday updates from court.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A mother and her boyfriend are facing serious felony charges after a two-year-old girl tragically died from severe injuries in Harris County.
Jazmin Cisneros, 28, appeared before Judge Ana Martinez in the 179th District Court on the 18th floor of the Harris County Criminal Courthouse on Friday morning. Cisneros is charged with Injury to a Child causing severe bodily injury.
Her boyfriend, 29-year-old Gerardo Gonzalez, was in front of the same judge earlier in the week and faces the same felony charge.
2-year-old dies after being found unresponsive; mother, her boyfriend arrested in connection
Officials are looking to potentially upgrade charges for the Spring couple. The two reportedly approached authorities last week when the child was unresponsive.
Harris County toddler dies from injuries
The backstory:
The investigation began last week when Cisneros and Gonzalez allegedly approached constable deputies at a gas station in Spring, Texas, desperately seeking medical help for the unresponsive toddler.
According to Harris County court documents, responding deputies immediately noticed the twi-year-old had several bruises and a black eye.
On Thursday afternoon, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the tragic passing of the child, identified as Janessa Martinez.
"I'm sure her life was a beautiful little life and she will be greatly missed," said Tiffany Dupree, Assistant District Attorney with the Crimes Against Children division. "Certainly the family and the friends of this child can know that we are going to fight for her, and we will seek justice for her to the fullest extent of the law."
Click here for the GoFundMe for Janessa's family.
Courtroom allegations and cartel claims
New information:
During Friday's hearing, the State revealed that Cisneros recently spoke with a detective and allegedly admitted to a prior unreported incident of child abuse occurring in July.
Defense attorneys petitioned the judge to lower Cisneros’s $500,000 bond. Cisneros' attorney, James Stafford, stated that family members claimed Gonzalez had repeatedly threatened Cisneros, allegedly using "cartel connections" to intimidate her and stating he would kill her if she didn't comply.
"I'm concerned about her, as any mother would be, knowing that you played a role in your child's death," Stafford told reporters outside the courtroom. "Just like the mother whose child drowned in the swimming pool—'Gosh, if I'd only been looking, that wouldn't have happened.' That's something she's going to have to live with the rest of her life, regardless of what kind of punishment she gets."
Judge Martinez denied the request to lower the bond, leaving Cisneros’s bond at $500,000. If released, Cisneros will be subject to these conditions:
- House arrest with required GPS monitoring
- Travel restricted strictly to Harris and surrounding counties
- No contact with any children under 17 years of age without court permission
- No contact with co-defendant Gerardo Gonzalez
- Compliance with all CPS and civil court orders
Gonzalez remains in custody on a $1 million bond.
New charges possible
What's next:
If convicted on the current felony charges, both face 5-99 years in prison. However, prosecutors noted that charges against both defendants could be upgraded now that little Janessa has passed away.
State prosecutors are currently awaiting the final results of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigation before making a final determination on updated charges.
Meanwhile, officials confirmed that Cisneros’s 7-year-old child—who was initially placed in CPS custody following the arrests—has since been relocated to live with family in Chicago.
The Source: Harris County Sheriff's Office, Harris County Clerk of Courts.