Current:Home > StocksMom, stepdad of 12-year-old Texas girl who died charged with failure to seek medical care -OceanicInvest
Mom, stepdad of 12-year-old Texas girl who died charged with failure to seek medical care
View
Date:2025-04-17 17:51:49
A 12-year-old Texas girl died after her mother and stepfather refused to seek medical assistance when she was suffering from life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
On Monday, deputies with the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the death of the girl, later identified as Miranda Sipps. The girl's 36-year-old mother, Denise Balbaneda, and 40-year-old stepfather, Gerald Gonzales, were ultimately charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury omission, according to Sheriff David Soward.
The investigation began when the sheriff's office received a report from her mother about the child needing medical assistance at around 8:00 p.m. They instructed Balbaneda to stop her car on the highway so that first responders could meet them.
When they got to the scene, Miranda was unconscious but alive, Soward said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Miranda was a cheerleader at Jourdanton Jr. High School.
"The Jourdanton ISD is currently dealing with the tragic loss of one of our Jr. High students," the school district said in a statement on Wednesday. "Jourdanton ISD has a School Crisis Team made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents/caregivers, and school staff at difficult times such as this."
Child Deaths:Florida dad accused of throwing 10-year-old daughter out of car near busy highway
Parents 'confessed' to not getting child medical treatment, sheriff says
During their investigation, authorities determined that Miranda had received severe life-threatening injuries just days prior that weren't treated.
"The investigation revealed the parents failed to seek medical assistance for the girl, even though she was mentally and physically incapacitated and non-responsive," Soward said in a statement. "It appears the mother finally called 9-1-1 when the girl went into respiratory distress."
At a news conference shared by KSAT, Soward said that it's unclear how the child got her injuries, and an autopsy is underway.
"She was not talking," Soward said. "She basically could flutter her eyes and move her hands a little bit over a four day period. They had her laying on a pallet in the house."
Gonzales and Balbaneda were taken into custody without incident on Tuesday from their home in Christine, which is about 53 miles from San Antonio.
Soward also told reporters that the parents "basically confessed" to not getting her treatment. He added that although she didn't get medical attention, "they were trying to give her smoothies, but someone who is unconscious is not able to swallow."
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
veryGood! (66777)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Former Australian Football League player becomes first female athlete to be diagnosed with CTE
- JoJo Siwa's Bold Hair Transformation Is Perfect If You're Torn Between Going Blonde or Brunette
- Hurricane Irma’s Overlooked Victims: Migrant Farm Workers Living at the Edge
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Plan to Burn Hurricane Debris Sparks Health Fears in U.S. Virgin Islands
- Trump EPA Targets More Coal Ash Rules for Rollback. Water Pollution Rules, Too.
- Seeing Clouds Clearly: Are They Cooling Us Down or Heating Us Up?
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Natalee Holloway Suspect Joran Van Der Sloot Pleads Not Guilty in U.S. Fraud Case
Ranking
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Man in bulletproof vest fatally shoots 5, injures 2 in Philadelphia; suspect in custody
- ‘America the Beautiful’ Plan Debuts the Biden Administration’s Approach to Conserving the Environment and Habitat
- Warming Trends: School Lunches that Help the Earth, a Coral Refuge and a Quest for Cooler Roads
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Dissecting ‘Unsettled,’ a Skeptical Physicist’s Book About Climate Science
- In Georgia, Buffeted by Hurricanes and Drought, Climate Change Is on the Ballot
- Woman dead, 9 injured after fireworks explosion at home in Michigan
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Biochar Traps Water and Fixes Carbon in Soil, Helping the Climate. But It’s Expensive
The EPA Proposes a Ban on HFC-23, the Most Potent Greenhouse Gas Among Hydrofluorocarbons, by October 2022
Coal Train Protesters Target One of New England’s Last Big Coal Power Plants
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny’s Matching Moment Is So Good
Best Friend Day Gifts Under $100: Here's What To Buy the Bestie That Has It All
Chief Environmental Justice Official at EPA Resigns, With Plea to Pruitt to Protect Vulnerable Communities