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GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – A Grand Prairie mother and her boyfriend are facing charges for the death of her 1-year-old son.Â
Newly released records reveal the child was bitten, beaten, and smothered on multiple occasions to stop his crying.
Grand Prairie Child Death
The backstory:
Grand Prairie police arrested 20-year-old Susaneth Pazarez-Nunez and 23-year-old Fernando Vega Diaz following the death of Pazarez-Nunez’s 1-year-old son this past Friday.
What’s new:
According to arrest warrant affidavits for the two suspects, police were called to their home on Huddleston Drive around 1:30 a.m. because the 1-year-old was not conscious and not breathing.
Paramedics took the little boy to Dallas Children’s Medical Center, where he was later declared dead.
Detectives noted the child had bruises on his face that neither suspect mentioned, nor did they inquire about his status after he was taken to the hospital, the affidavit states.
Later during questioning, Pazarez-Nunez allegedly told detectives that Diaz began physically abusing her son after she moved in with him eight months ago.
She claimed Diaz hit the boy in the face and with a cable, leaving visible marks on his abdomen. She said he occasionally choked the child with a hand around his neck and bit the child hard enough to leave a mark. He also smothered the child’s mouth and nose with his hand or blanket, causing difficulty breathing, the affidavit states.
Pazarez-Nunez told detectives she never reported the abuse or got help because she was too afraid of Diaz, who also physically assaulted her.
The affidavit states Diaz originally told detectives he didn’t believe in physical discipline and that the child had injured his face during a fall. But after further questioning, he allegedly admitted to the abuse because the child “would not stop crying or yelling.”
He also claimed Pazarez-Nunez shared some of the blame for harming her son.
What’s Next
Both suspects are charged with injury to a child causing death, which is a first-degree felony.
Pazarez-Nunez is charged because police said she had knowledge of the abuse and failed to act or get the child medical help.
Diaz is charged because police said he intentionally and knowingly caused serious bodily injury to the child.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Grand Prairie Police Department and arrest warrant affidavits for Susaneth Pazarez-Nunez and Fernando Vega Diaz.