Affidavit provides details in Edinburg child abuse case

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two women and a man were arrested in connection to a child abuse case in Edinburg.

Selena Quintanilla Silva, 21, is facing charges of injury to a child, child endangerment, tampering with evidence and perjury.

Silva's boyfriend, Mathew Martinez, was arrested by Beaumont police on a charge of injury to a child. His mother, 50-year-old Maria del Rosario Castillo, was arraigned on the same charges as Silva.

Shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in reference to an injury to a child. Hospital staff told police that a 17-month-old infant arrived unresponsive, with "visible bruising all over her body and a laceration under her chin," a news release stated.

An investigator was taken to the trauma room, where he saw the baby with "severe bruising all over her body, healing rib fractures and a fractured forearm," the affidavit stated.

Silva told police an initial story, stating that her mother picked up her daughter that morning and Silva began feeling that "something wasn't right." Silva said she then called her mother in law, Castillo, to check on the baby. In this account, Silva said that Castillo told her the baby was not doing well. Castillo then picked up Silva and drove to the hospital.

Silva agreed to provide a statement at the police station, where she re-told this story, and signed an affidavit. However, after providing the signed document, she changed her story and admitted to striking the child with a wooden board the night before two or three times, the document alleges.

"Selena admitted to striking [the child] two to three times on her leg with a 'tabla' which translates to wooden board," the affidavit stated. " Selena then mentioned that Maria has confessed to her that she has hit [the child] with the wooden board and has seen new bruises on her."

Investigators spoke with Castillo, who said that the baby was OK while she was caring for her, but began having issues breathing after she picked up Silva.

Nurses at the hospital updated police on the baby's condition, adding that she suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated.

The investigator then re-interviewed Castillo, who admitted she grabbed the child's arm and dragged her to the truck while she was running errands.

"Castillo then stated she had grabbed [the child] around her chest area and began squeezing her hard because [the child] would not sit down in the truck seat," the affidavit stated.

Police searched both Silva and Castillo's cellphones, where they learned that Castillo would admit to Martinez that she had punched and hit the child with a stick. It was also learned that Martinez had caused a bruise underneath the baby's chin, according to the document.

The investigator was informed by jail staff that Silva wanted to speak with him again. At this point, Silva admitted to striking the child several times, beginning in March and lasting all the way through May 7. Silva said she would hit her daughter "very hard with a wooden stick, belt and her hand" throughout that time, the affidavit stated.

Police searched the residence, an apartment at the 5100 block of W. Schunior, and discovered bloody clothing that had been disposed in the dumpster. According to the affidavit, Silva and Castillo both accused each other of disposing the evidence.

The two women were arraigned Thursday afternoon, where their bonds were each set at $420,000. Martinez is expected to be arraigned tomorrow.