A Florida mother who asked her neighbor to lie about her actions after her three-year-old son drowned in a pond was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Myra O. Santiago, 24, was convicted for her role in the tragic death of her son, Aziryh Santiago, who escaped from his home in Fort Lauderdale on April 23, 2023.
The court heard that the boy had managed to leave the residence several times before and that Santiago had not installed child locks on the doors. The afternoon of Aziryh’s death, police discovered the boy’s body in a pond behind the family’s apartment complex. WLBT information.
Santiago initially claimed he had left Aziryh with a neighbor the night before while she went out with a friend to nearby Daytona Beach. She alleged that she returned home around 1 or 2 a.m. and last saw her son at 6 a.m., when he went into his room to take his morning medication.
However, police later discovered text messages exposing Santiago’s attempt to pressure his neighbor into lying. According to Law&Crime, Santiago texted: “Can you tell the police you saw Aziryh last night?” adding, “It’s important, girl… I’m going through a lot right now.”
In another message he wrote: “I came to look for him at your house ar (sic) 2 or 3… Then I’ll tell you everything. “I’m going crazy.” CCTV footage directly contradicts Santiago’s claims, which show Aziryh running in front of a neighbor’s door at 6:46 a.m.
He was then seen heading towards the pond behind the complex, where his body was later found. Investigators also discovered inconsistencies in witness statements. A friend of Santiago’s, who claimed he had stayed at her house that night, provided conflicting details about where he had slept. WLOX information.
Santiago admitted to investigators that his son had run away before, but said he couldn’t afford to use child safety locks. Police disputed this and reported that they found $100 in cash in his home, along with drug paraphernalia, alcohol and e-cigarettes.
“There was a lot of evidence showing that (Santiago) had the funds to purchase the lock but did not do so,” authorities said. During sentencing, Volusia County Circuit Judge Kathryn Weston acknowledged Santiago’s remorse but found his actions inexcusable.
“It’s frankly inexcusable that this could have happened sooner, and you knew you needed child insurance and you just didn’t go get it,” the judge said, according to the Daytona Beach News Journal. “I know you’ll probably regret not doing that simple thing for the rest of your life.”
Santiago’s sentencing serves as a grim reminder of the tragic consequences of negligence, which leaves a grieving family and community grieving the loss of a young life.