Will there be charges resulting from death of 4 year old?
hildalia maldonado
The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will determine whether or not there is a case to answer in the death of four year old Hidalia Maldonado. The child was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital last Friday and declared dead. A post mortem later concluded that physical abuse caused her death. The mother, however, is denying that conclusion. News Five’s Delahnie Bain found Yeysi Maldonado at her mother’s home in San Marcus Village where she has been staying since the death of her first born.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
There are many unanswered questions regarding the death of four year old Hidalia Maldonado who died at her home in Roaring Creek last Friday. The post mortem sites the cause of death as “Battered Child Syndrome” which means the child died from frequent physical abuse, but today we got the mother’s side of the story.
yseyi maldonado
Yeysi Maldonado, Mother of Hidalia Maldonado
“My daughter was playing on the steps and she got hurt. She said she slide; I believe she trip but she can’t explain it because it was too hard, her body was too hurt for a slide. So I asked her if she feel bad or something and she was crying and she said no, only part of her eye hurts her. So she wiped herself and everything was like she was normal and everything okay.”
According to Yeysi Maldonado, things started to go downhill later that night.
Yeysi Maldonado
“About eleven o’clock she woke up again, vomiting and vomiting. Then in the morning I decided to take to the doctor because I thought it was too much vomiting. Then I made breakfast and everything and about ten o’clock I was getting her ready. When I bathed her like her body just fainted, but only her body like got weak. Her mind and—she knew everything that was happening. So I change her and I call taxi then I saw she was like worse, like she wanted to tell me something and her voice didn’t come out. Then I see like she get worse all of a sudden, worse. Then I decided to call 911. I tell them my daughter di dead please come now. So they took a—I expected siren or an ambulance to come right away because I needed help right away for my daughter. They took too long I think. When the taxi reach he seh she is already dead so he called again 911 but they still didn’t come until fifteen minutes after that and then I feel bad because it’s my daughter that’s dying and I need help right away.”
When little Hidalia finally reached the hospital, she was pronounced dead on arrival. But Yeysi says the child was never abused, especially by her stepfather.
Yeysi Maldonado
“Never, no. He always went to work from one the afternoon til twelve the night, twelve-thirty one and most of the time she was with me. I never leave my kids alone, they are always with me and I take care of them the way my mom teach me, I teach them. She was never beaten. She is my first daughter and I take care of her more than I take care of myself. I watch them. I have two kids and they are my heart. I know that they are my heart.”
Yeysi, not only denies that her daughter was a “battered child”, she says the allegations has made the loss more difficult to cope with.
Yeysi Maldonado
“I didn’t think all of this would come up because the death of my daughter was not planned. That was an accident that no mom wants to happen to their daughter. I didn’t expect that. Maybe she was not used to coming down steps either because here there are no steps and we were here and she is not used to that. Everybody sad because it was a little girl, I say if I didn’t went to live in Roaring Creek maybe my daughter would still be alive or if I didn’t bathe her before maybe she would have stayed alive for longer.”
Maldonado had only lived at the Roaring Creek about a month before the incident. Delahnie Bain for News Five.
Hidalia Maldonado was laid to rest in the Duck Run One community.
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As a former child welfare professional/administrator by all means this young mother should be held accountable for the death of her child. Perhaps her boyfriend may have abused this child. No child should have to suffer the sort of injuries that was reported by coroner who conducted the autopsy/investigation. Too many times young mothers in fear of their lovers allowed this kind of abuse to happen. Social workers and other child welfare professionals need to be involved in this case coupled with the DPP’s office in which I personally have very little faith in. A child is a human being with certain god given rights. Furthermore, often times children are so scared of parents that they are unable to express themself or to complain about their pain. There are many cases where a parent would sometimes whip/beat a child for complaining and crying too much. May the almighty have mercy on the child’s mother. This is a tough case to call, however justice must be done, a life has been lost.
“Battered child syndrome” is a diagnosis based on objective science, no matter what the mother denies. It is too early today to say who is responsible, but there is another child in that home who needs to be protected NOW. The government must step in and protect that helpless baby from becoming the next victim. It’s too late to wring your hands and say “Someone should have done something,” when you are buying a second baby’s coffin.
Remember, this is the same “pathologist” that said it was the 8th bullet injury that killed PC Sanches and therefore it was self defense.
Mario Estrada please stop acting like a Home Health Aid and start acting like a forensic Pathologist.
Forensic pathologist, lol, weh this man get fi he degree corn flakes box or what. So many cases mussi slip through the cracks because of this so call forensic pathologist opinion, and thats all he gives an opinion, no science behind fi he reasoning.
Why is it that Belize seems to be dependent on only one Forensic Pathologist?
Every single crime or death that occurs in Belize, and lord knows the number is too outrageous to keep count, this Dr. Is the only one carrying out this particular task…
Blind Eye Jamesie, I left this story alone for the same reason, I have no confidence in Estradaban. Henry Patnett stabbed his pregnant ex in her stomach,, injured the 7-8 month old fetus, induced labor & according to Estradaban, the baby died because she was premature. A baby at that stage of development is very viable.
If the 4 year old was battered, he should have documented the injuries, if there were no noticeable external injuries, what did he find in the autopsy to support his finding? If the mother or stepfather caused her death, they should be prosecuted but let’s not waste the court’s time if the case cannot be proven. Have social monitor the situation & work with the parents & if the baby needs to be removed, they have the authority to do so.
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