Donna father accused in toddler’s murder arrested at Anzalduas bridge

ADonna-area man on the run from authorities was apprehended Saturday and awaits arraignment on a capital murder charge, which stems from the death of his 3-year-old daughter who died from blunt force trauma after suffering prolonged abuse.

Jose Manuel Uresti

Wendy Rivera

Jose Manuel Uresti, 23, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force at the Anzalduas International Bridge, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Uresti is expected to be arraigned Monday at the county jail.

The sheriff’s office confirmed the results from the county’s forensic pathologist who ruled the victim’s death a homicide Friday.

Sheriff’s investigators arrested Wendy Sarai Rivera, 25, the mother of the child who has yet to be identified, on charges of failure to report a felony and injury to a child. She was arraigned Friday and is being held on $2.5 million in bonds.

Investigators obtained an arrest warrant on a capital murder charge for the father, Uresti, and had launched a search for him together with federal law enforcement.

Deputies initially responded to a call about an unresponsive child in the 9700 block of Klarissa Drive in rural Donna at about 4:34 p.m. Thursday. That child would later be pronounced dead about an hour later, at 5:32 p.m., after being transported to South Texas Health System Children’s in Edinburg, according to the sheriff’s office.

The toddler had suffered injuries that included burns and bite marks, bruising and lacerations, the sheriff’s office said a preliminary investigation revealed.

The sheriff’s office also said that the mother, Rivera, admitted to knowing about her daughter’s injuries but did not report it.

The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help in providing more information that could aid the investigation by calling (956) 383-8114, or remain anonymous by calling the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers Hotline at (956) 668-TIPS (8477) or submitting an anonymous tip through the P3 TIPS app.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with new developments about Uresti’s arrest.

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