Saginaw mother charged with capital murder in death of infant daughter
SAGINAW - When 2-month-old Madelynn Sanchez was found unresponsive in her Saginaw home in March, officials initially suspected sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
But at Cook Children’s Medical Center, where the infant girl was pronounced dead a short time later, signs of something more sinister soon began to surface.
Medical staff noted a small bruise above the baby’s right eyebrow and another inside her right leg, according to court documents.
An autopsy the next day would find other serious injuries — several fractured ribs in various stages of healing and a skull fracture.
Child Protective Services quickly removed Madelynn’s two brothers from the home and had the boys examined. Madelynn’s twin brother also had a skull and rib fractures.
Now, Madelynn’s mother, Yoselin Rivas, has been charged with capital murder — accused of striking her daughter with or against a hard surface.
Rivas was arrested Aug. 31 and released on $50,000 bail. She was charged last month with capital murder.
Rivas’ attorney, Wes Ball, questioned the case against his client.
“I think there’s a substantial question about whether Ms. Rivas is responsible for this child’s injuries,” Ball said. “I’m not convinced with the police interpretation of the medical evidence.”
Ball said he is in the early stages of gathering evidence in the case but hopes to make a presentation when the case is heard by a Tarrant County grand jury.
Parent’s account to police
Rivas told Saginaw police that she was eating with her older son and the children’s father, Christopher Sanchez, inside the home in the 400 block of Cambridge Drive while the twins slept upstairs.
When she checked on the babies, Madelynn was lying slightly rolled over and not breathing, she told police. She screamed for Sanchez, who began CPR while she called 911, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Both Rivas and Sanchez acknowledged to investigators that they and their 1-year-old son were the only people around the twins in the 24 hours before Madelynn’s death.
Sanchez later told a detective that Rivas had been up upstairs alone with the twins for about 30 to 35 minutes while he was downstairs making breakfast.
“Mr. Sanchez said Ms. Rivas had awoken grouchy and she was tired the morning of the victim’s death. He was asked if Ms. Rivas could have hit the kids and he replied not in front of him,” the affidavit, written by
Detective Robert Richardson, states.
Rivas acknowledged being alone with the twins while Sanchez made breakfast but insisted to the investigator that nothing had happened to Madelynn at that time. Nor, she told police, was the baby girl dropped during the 24-hour period before her death.
Nizam Peerwani, the Tarrant County medical examiner, ruled in August that Madelynn’s death was a homicide caused by blunt trauma to the head.
Peerwani told police that the fatal head injury would have have caused unconsciousness at or near the time of injury, the affidavit states. The autopsy found that Madelynn had 15 rib fractures, some up to three weeks old.
The affidavit states that lab exams found no indication that the twins had any disease that would predispose them to easily broken bones.
Police allegations
Saginaw police say Rivas knew her daughter had a bone fracture before she was told specifics about the girl’s injuries.
Ball said he thinks it’s noteworthy that a judge set bail at only $50,000.
“The number of people I’ve had on bail in a capital case I can count on two fingers,” he said. “Literally, I think I’ve had two people.”
He also drew into question why it took more than five months for an arrest to be made.
“I think all the evidence was in pretty much within weeks of the child’s death,” he said. “Kind of makes you wonder what the reason for the delay was. I would attribute it to uncertainty, which is still in play.”
Madelynn’s brothers remain in foster care.
Documents filed by CPS indicate that police were called after the parents and another relative screamed vulgarities and threatened the lives of CPS investigators as they took custody of Madelynn’s two siblings.
The parents have since been cooperating with CPS in attempt to be reunited with the children, the documents state.
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