Mother Arrested After Malnourished 6-Year-Old Daughter Dies Weighing Just 31 Pounds, Cops Say

A mother of six in Texas was taken into custody almost 10 months after her 6-year-old daughter died weighing just 31 pounds, authorities said.

Police in San Antonio developed probable cause to obtain a warrant and arrest Stephanie Jimenez, 38, on July 26 on a charge of injury to child-serious bodily injury by omission, according to an affidavit obtained by KSAT.

A judge set Jimenez’s bond at $200,000.

On Oct. 3, officers called to Jimenez’s home found her daughter, Samantha, unresponsive, and paramedics pronounced the child dead at the scene.

In an affidavit, police wrote Samantha “appeared small and thin for her age” and that Jimenez said the girl had begun to vomit after she hit her head after falling down.

A medical examiner determined the girl died as a result of malnutrition and neglect, and she was also dehydrated and had a kidney infection, pneumonia and COVID, the affidavit states.

According to the document, the little girl also suffered from poor hygiene and her hair was infested with lice.

Detectives claimed the mother said she “would lock herself in her bedroom and let her six children do whatever they wanted,” the affidavit states, and she didn’t seek medical treatment for Samantha because she “had no help.”

“Child death cases are complex in nature and require the assistance of the Medical Examiner for a ruling as to the manner and cause of death,” the San Antonio Police Department told KSAT in an email about the lengthy investigation leading up to Jimenez's arrest.

“When presenting the case to District Attorney’s office, we are often only afforded one opportunity to obtain a conviction in a case,” law enforcement officials continued. “Therefore, investigations require detectives gather all available facts and evidence before presenting the case to the District Attorney’s Office in order to obtain justice for the victim’s and their families.”