Mother Charged After Police Found ‘Mummified’ 19-12 months-Outdated Autistic Daughter on Flooring

When police arrived, although, they determined to not administer CPR because of the “place” and “situation” during which they discovered the teenager, Delilah Villegas. Earlier than they’d even gotten to her room, police reported smelling a “robust foul odor.”

Upon getting into the room, they discovered Villegas mendacity in a “near-fetal place” on the concrete flooring. She was described as so “severely malnourished” by police that they initially estimated her age as nearer to 13 years.

Responding officers additionally famous the teenager “had a number of bruises and contusions on her physique,” in addition to bedsores. Her situation was described as “skin-to-bone,” in response to Pedro Gonzalez, a public info officer for the Balch Springs Police Division, in a press launch seen by Folks.

“It was simply unrecognizable for a 19-year-old to be in that place,” mentioned Gonzalez at a information convention of the teenager who was noticed to have “giant lacerations exposing decaying limbs, and even a few of the bones from her shoulder, and on her arm, and her leg,” per the discharge.

“She regarded like she was in a mummified state on the ground,” he added in a information convention on Saturday, per KKTV.

As for the room, CBS Information notes it was described as having “a single mattress on the ground and two pallets of comforters, sheets and pillows.” There was additionally a deadbolt lock on the bed room door.

In keeping with KDFW, police requested her mom, Crystal Canales, 41, in regards to the severity of her daughter’s wounds, which included bedsores and uncovered bone on her proper thigh, shoulder, hip, buttocks, hand, and ankle.

She reportedly advised officers that she handled the bedsores with Neosporin, however uncared for to take Villegas for medical care as a result of she would change into violent.

In addition they detailed discovering an overview on the ground within the form of her physique, which “indicated she had been in the identical place for a protracted interval.”

Canales initially advised officers that her daughter was respiration shortly earlier than that they had arrived, and had even eaten some Goldfish crackers earlier that day, however medical personnel decided she’d been useless at the very least six, and probably 24 hours by the point police arrived.

As police investigated Villegas’ demise, relations advised detectives that she had extreme autism and was non-verbal, however had no main well being situations and was purportedly in a position to cook dinner and put together meals for herself. In addition they spoke with neighbors, academics, and college students who knew the household.

“Everybody was saying that she was a terrific mom, at all times there, by no means left the home,” Gonzales mentioned. “Was there actually 24 hours caring for her youngster.”

“It is heartbreaking,” Villegas’ aunt, Yajaira Pardo, advised KDFW after studying how her niece died. She mentioned she chooses to recollect Villegas enjoying outdoors and organizing her stuffed animal, pleased and smiling. “To know that she’s within the palms of God and with my brother, in his arms, that is what provides me consolation,” she advised the outlet.

Police reviews indicated Villegas was final seen in a hospital in 2021, and {that a} welfare test to her house in that very same 12 months didn’t flip up any indicators that something was unsuitable.

Pardo mentioned she regrets not listening to her intestine that advised her one thing is perhaps unsuitable with the woman, regardless of getting reviews from Villegas’ older sister, who had moved to Fort Price, telling her that the whole lot was effective.

Canales was arrested on Friday and charged with severe bodily harm to a disabled individual underneath her care, a second-degree felony. She was taken to Balch Springs jail pending a switch to Dallas County jail.

Police are nonetheless investigating whether or not anybody else must be charged in relation to Villegas’ demise. Her grandmother and nice uncle additionally lived within the house the place her physique was discovered.

The grandmother advised police she’d not been allowed to see Villegas in weeks, whereas the good uncle mentioned it had been a 12 months since he’d seen her, in response to an affidavit seen by KXAS, regardless of each dwelling in the identical residence.

In keeping with Gonzalez, Villegas was purportedly “very aggressive in the direction of relations, and generally they’d be discouraged to work together with our sufferer.” He defined that there have been “instances the place she turned extraordinarily violent, punching, hitting, kicking relations,” whereas additionally citing a bodily altercation on a college bus.

Talking extra usually as a guardian, Gonzalez added, “our job is to guard our youngsters. When a nonverbal daughter lays helplessly, you type of surprise what was going by means of her thoughts, the place she could not talk and even share a few of her ache or struggling to others in order that she will be able to get further assist.”

“If somebody would have seen or would have been involved in regards to the youngster, they might have simply known as 911,” he continued. “We might have responded and personally checked on the sufferer, and perhaps we would not be right here if that will have occurred.