A teenager from California faces murder charges alongside an unusual accusation of “assault with a hair tie” after allegedly strangling his 2-year-old foster brother with a ponytail holder. The incident occurred just weeks after the young boy was placed in the care of the teen’s mother, who has a prior conviction for child endangerment, according to prosecutors.

The suspect, now 18 but a minor at the time of the crime on Easter Sunday, is accused of murder, sexual assault, and felony assault related to the tragic death of Jaxon Juarez, affectionately known as “Baby Jaxon.”

The identity of the teen remains undisclosed, as he is currently facing charges in juvenile court. However, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is pushing to have the case moved to adult court, according to a press release.

On April 5, 2026, the San Jose Police Department discovered Baby Jaxon’s small, bruised, and battered body, the DA’s release states. It revealed that the child, also the suspect’s cousin, had suffered repeated sexual and physical assaults since his placement in the foster home in February.

During a press conference on Monday, DA Jeff Rosen explained that Jaxon was discovered in his crib with a ponytail holder around his neck, prompting the “assault with a hair tie” charge. He described the case as “terrible and horrific,” noting that Jaxon endured multiple traumatic injuries leading to his hospitalization and life support.

The DA’s office reported that Jaxon succumbed to his injuries and passed away on April 9.

“We are left with broken hearts and serious questions about who was watching out for the safety of these extremely vulnerable children,” Rosen said in his office’s press release about Jaxon, who is the third foster child since 2023 to have been murdered under the care and custody of California’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, per Rosen.

“Today, we sadly add the name of Baby Jaxon alongside Baby Phoenix and others on a list of children whose short lives have been snuffed out through cruelty and recklessness,” Rosen said. “Jaxon will never have a chance at life. Jaxon will never have any way to tell his own story. My Office will speak for him and all the lost children as we seek justice.”

Local officials say Jaxon was placed in the care of Bridget Michelle Martinez, his killer’s mother, in February despite the woman having a felony conviction for child endangerment, according to local NPR affiliate KQED.

Jaxon’s biological father is reportedly Martinez’s cousin.

“It is completely unacceptable,” said Riley Wallace, Jaxon’s aunt who lives in Arizona, in an interview with KQED about Jaxon’s placement by DCFS. “They did not protect a child, and that’s their job,” Wallace blasted. “That’s what they took the child for, to protect him. And they failed him so terribly.”

According to Wallace, Jaxon’s mother passed away in 2025 due to alcohol abuse, which prompted the county to take custody of him. He lived with another foster family and then his maternal grandfather near Sacramento for six months before being placed in the care of Martinez. Wallace told KQED her family requested to take Jaxon in, but the county allegedly refused due to the distance from Jaxon’s father.

“We have the room,” Wallace said, noting how they would have taken Jaxon “in a heartbeat” had they been allowed. “Nothing made sense.”

Police and court records obtained by KQED show that Martinez was charged and convicted of child endangerment in 2014, as well as DUI, after being caught driving drunk with her 1-year-old daughter in the car with her. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to probation.

Martinez also had a prior DUI conviction from 2011 and another DUI charge in 2020.

“It’s critical that whatever placement they decide, the first consideration should be, is it safe? And are the people there capable of meeting this child’s needs?” Steve Baron, a member of Santa Clara County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council, told KQED. “Were they aware of those records? And if not, why not? Because they should have been.”

DCFS officials have said they are currently investigating Jaxon’s case, calling it “deeply concerning,” KQED reports. “The county is committed to swiftly investigating every aspect of this horrific tragedy and publicly sharing the results of these investigations when available and to the extent allowable by law,” the agency said in a statement last week.

Details surrounding Jaxon’s murder case and the teen who allegedly killed him are not publicly available, due to the defendant’s age.

“If his petition is found true in juvenile court, he could face seven years in Secure Track, a locked facility for juveniles who have been adjudicated of serious crimes,” the DA’s office said in its press release Monday. “If the case is sent to adult court by a judge, he could face many years in prison.”