Mother charged with homicide in Port Isabel death of infant: Chief

PORT ISABEL, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A mother is facing homicide charges in connection to the death of a 1-year-old child in Port Isabel earlier this Spring.

Mariana Martinez Baltazar was arrested on a charge of criminal negligent homicide, Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez told ValleyCentral.

_{400 block of Martinez St in Port Isabel where a 1-year-old girl was found unresponsive (Photo taken by Gerardo Salinas/ValleyCentral)}

At 11:30 a.m. April 18, police responded to a home at the 400 block of Martinez Street in Port Isabel, where they found a 1-year-old girl dead.

Chief Lopez told ValleyCentral previously that police responded to that same residence less than seven hours before, where a woman had fallen and claimed she needed medical attention. According to Lopez, the child was still alive at that time.

_{Denis De La Cruz (Cameron County Jail)}

Lopez added that Denis De La Cruz, who lived at the residence, was initially arrested on one count of assault, family violence. He was later charged with a second count of assault causing bodily injury. Police said that De La Cruz allegedly assaulted the child's mother and her 15-year-old daughter.

At the time, Lopez emphasized that De La Cruz was not facing charges in connection to the baby's death as they awaited the results from the autopsy report.

Martinez Baltazar is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.