Inset: Ashley Rivera (Hidalgo County Jail). Background: The 8100 block of North FM 88 in Weslaco, Texas, where Rivera”s 1-year-old child died after being left unattended in a vehicle (Google Maps).
Authorities have charged 26-year-old Ashley Jasmin Rivera with injury to a child resulting in death, as per jail documentation. A statement from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, referenced by local news sources, details how deputies were dispatched shortly before 9 p.m. on October 31 to a call about a non-responsive infant on the 8100 block of North FM 88, located in the rural area of Weslaco, southeast Texas, near the Mexican border.
Upon arriving, officers discovered the infant was not breathing. Despite being swiftly taken to the hospital by paramedics, the child was pronounced dead by medical professionals.
The press release highlighted the situation, stating, “The child’s car seat was found tipped forward behind the driver’s seat, with the seat strap around the child’s neck.”
Rivera reportedly informed the authorities that she had arrived at the site with her four children. Since the 1-year-old was asleep, she chose to leave the child in the car while she and her other three children went inside. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes later, a witness found the child unresponsive in the vehicle.
Rivera reportedly told investigators that she and her four children arrived at the location. The 1-year-old was sleeping so she left the child in the car while Rivera and the other three kids went inside. Roughly 20 or 30 minutes later, a witness said he went to the car and found the child unresponsive.
An autopsy conducted a couple of days later determined the child died of strangulation.
Details such as where the mother and other children were going when she left the 1-year-old behind were not released. Cops say the investigation remains ongoing.
Cops arrested Rivera and took her to the Hidalgo County Jail where she is being held on a $750,000 bond.
