Mother Seeking Dialogue with Police after Incident at Walmart Involving Her Ill Son Faces Challenges

In a recent legal twist, the attorney defending a Minnesota woman accused of neglecting her toddler to the point of death is seeking to have her police interviews dismissed from court proceedings. Valerie Zamora, aged 33, faced arrest in May following a probe into the tragic demise of her 20-month-old son, Jose. Authorities suspect her involvement in his death, a situation that has garnered considerable attention.

The incident unfolded when Zamora, alongside her partner and daughter, took a detour to a Walmart in Dilworth, located approximately 230 miles northwest of Minneapolis, before heading to the hospital. The purpose of this stop was to purchase Pedialyte for Jose. During this brief interlude, the toddler began vomiting blood while in the care of Zamora’s daughter. Alarmed, the daughter feared for Jose’s life, prompting Zamora’s partner to rush into the store to retrieve Zamora. The family then hurried to the hospital, where Jose was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m.

An autopsy later revealed that Jose succumbed to blunt force trauma, deemed a result of assault, with his death classified as a homicide. Disturbingly, the examination uncovered broken ribs and bruising, which Zamora reportedly attributed to her son’s tendency to bruise easily.

In a hearing at the Clay County District Court, Zamora’s legal representative, Michael Minard, addressed Judge Jade Rosenfeldt, emphasizing that his client spoke with law enforcement three times post-Jose’s passing. Two of these interactions occurred at the hospital, and the third at the police station. Local news outlet The Forum reported that Zamora participated willingly in all three discussions and requested legal counsel during the final interview, after which Moorhead Police Detective Katie Schultz concluded the dialogue.

Crucially, since Zamora was not detained, the police did not administer her Miranda rights at any point during these interviews. Detective Schultz explained to the court that the questioning aimed to unravel the mysteries surrounding Jose’s “suspicious death.” At no time, she noted, was Zamora under arrest, and she was informed she could terminate the interviews whenever she wished.

Because Zamora was not taken into custody, she was not read her Miranda rights at the start of those three interviews. Schultz told the court that those three interviews were conducted in order to gather information about Jose’s “suspicious death.” At the time, Schultz said, Zamora was not under arrest and was told she could stop the interview at any time.

Minard told the court that the content of those three recorded interviews should be excluded from trial since Zamora was not read her rights.

Among the statements Zamora allegedly made during her voluntary interviews with police was how she hesitated to bring Jose to the hospital the day before his death because she feared that social services would “take her child away.” Police wrote in court documents that Zamora’s story about the days leading up to Jose’s death changed, including the nature of his illness. According to police, Zamora first stated that Jose was vomiting, but it was “normal.” She later stated that he vomited a black or dark substance.

Law&Crime previously reported that the day of Jose’s death, witnesses told police that they had urged Zamora to take Jose to the hospital. She allegedly gave him Tylenol and Gatorade and ran errands instead. Later that evening, between 4:30 and 5 p.m., Jose’s condition worsened. Zamora told one of her children that she would take him to the hospital when her partner arrived home.

Police said the family finally took Jose to the hospital late that night, but not before surveillance cameras at Walmart caught Zamora entering the store at 10:12 p.m., minutes before her son began vomiting blood.

Zamora remains in custody at Clay County Jail after she was extradited from Cass County following her arrest. She is charged with second-degree murder.