A 12-year-old cheerleader died after suffering a mysterious injury and her mother and stepfather waited four days to seek treatment, police say.
Miranda Sipps, 12, died in hospital Monday night.
Police said the woman had been slipping in and out of consciousness for several days before her family felt her arm.
Her mother Denise Balbaneda, 36, and stepfather Gerald Gonzales, 40, both of Christine, have been charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission, a first-degree felony.
No further details have been given about the injury that ultimately killed Sipps or how he may have sustained it.
Dispatchers received a call for medical assistance around 8 p.m. the night Sipps died.
They met up with the family at Highway 16 South and FM 140, where EMS workers found her “alive but unresponsive.”
Cheerleader Miranda Sipps, center, died after her mother and father failed to seek medical treatment for a mysterious injury, investigators say
Denise Balbaneda, the mother of a Texas cheerleader who succumbed to life-threatening injuries, has been accused of waiting four days to get medical help.
Denise Balbaneda (left) and Gerald Gonzales (right) have been charged in connection with the death
Miranda was rushed to Methodist Hospital in Atascos, where she was pronounced dead less than two hours later.
Detectives launched an investigation into the circumstances of his “serious” injuries and determined he had suffered them on August 8.
“The investigation revealed that the parents failed to seek medical assistance for the child, even though she was mentally and physically incapacitated and unresponsive,” police said in a statement.
“It appears the mother finally called 911 when the child went into respiratory distress.”
Balbaneda and Gonzales were booked into the Atascosa County Jail on Tuesday.
An investigation is underway and a full autopsy is pending to determine the cause of the girl’s death.
At a news conference, police said they were not giving details of his injuries because they were not yet sure how they had been sustained. They confirmed that there were no broken bones or marks on his body.
They revealed that police had previously been called to the family’s home without giving further information.
Christine, 12, was a cheerleader for the Jourdanton Junior High cheerleading team.
“They told us how the injuries occurred and they told us they did not act,” said Sheriff David Soward.
‘You can dismiss how the injuries occurred, but you still have a duty as a parent to provide medical care to a 12-year-old.
“We’re not talking about them attacking the child, trying to kill him or anything like that, we’re talking about them not acting.
“It had nothing to do with the school, we have a story from the mother, but we are not ready to publish it at this time.”
He said he believed the parents thought they could nurse her back to health but were trying to avoid drawing outside law enforcement attention to their home, which he described as “unkempt.”
However, he said nothing unusual was discovered at the home in terms of alcohol or drugs.
The pre-teen was a cheerleader for the Jourdanton High School cheerleading team.
Her devastated family has since organised a fundraiser to help cover the costs of her funeral, where they paid tribute to the young woman.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved niece Miranda,” said a statement in the GoFundMe read.
‘She was taken from us too soon and in an unexpected way, leaving us with a legacy of love, laughter and memories that we will cherish forever.’
The crime the couple is charged with is defined as failure to respond appropriately to or prevent injury by a parent or caregiver.
This may include situations where a legal guardian fails to provide food and water, fails to protect a child from abuse, or fails to seek medical attention when needed.
First-degree felony is a first-degree felony, punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Police have not yet said whether further charges will be filed.
