Houston, TX- After almost a year, authorities have charged a mother in the tragic death of her 2-month-old son. The baby was left in a hot vehicle outside a mental health clinic in southeast Houston, as reported by the Houston Police Department.
A 22-year-old woman named Gabriela Elyzabeth Deras has been charged with murder in connection with the tragic death of a 2-month-old infant named Ethan Rosa Deras. The incident occurred in August 2023. On Friday, she was arrested and taken to the Harris County Jail.
She has been assigned a bail amount of $50,000.
Authorities responded to an incident at 5901 Long Drive on Aug. 8, 2023, in the afternoon. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Harris Center, a clinic specializing in mental health and developmental disabilities.
The mother arrived at the clinic for a visit in the afternoon. According to the police, she brought her 4-year-old child inside.
Eventually, she mentioned discovering Ethan in an unresponsive state and promptly brought him indoors. Nurses then administered CPR and made efforts to revive him. Ethan was quickly taken to the hospital where he was declared deceased.
According to court records, Deras left her son in the car for about three hours while she was inside for an appointment. When doctors found the baby, his body temperature was extremely high and he had burns on his face from the sun.
Investigators found inconsistencies in Deras’ statements during their interview with her.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has concluded that baby Ethan’s death was a result of homicide, following a thorough investigation and autopsy. It was discovered earlier this year that the cause of death was hyperthermia, but it took several months for the murder charge to be filed.
Prosecutors are not required to establish intent, but they argue that the death is classified as murder due to Deras’ involvement in other serious crimes, such as reckless injury to a child or child abandonment.
Source: Click2Houston
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