Charges dropped against PI mother in death of baby

PORT ISABEL, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — Charges have been dropped against a Port Isabel mother in the death of her 17-month-old daughter, authorities told ValleyCentral.

In August, Mariana Martinez Baltazar was arrested on a charge of criminal negligent homicide in connection to the death of her baby. The arrest came nearly five months after police found her daughter dead inside their home.

Police also arrested the baby’s father, Denis De La Cruz.

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

Police had responded to the same residence less than seven hours earlier to attend to Baltazar, who required medical attention because she was allegedly assaulted by De La Cruz. According to police, the child was still alive at that time.

Baltazar’s attorney told ValleyCentral the autopsy results for the child were inconclusive, meaning she was not legally responsible for her death.

Her attorney went on to detail that Baltazar allegedly made many calls to Port Isabel Police in the last two years concerning domestic violence at the hands of her partner.

On the night of the child’s death, Baltazar’s attorney claims De La Cruz had beaten Baltazar particularly badly.

“She once again told the PIPD and local EMS that she had fallen,” the attorney stated. “The problem was when she told them that her left eye was purple and swollen shut, her lip was swollen, and she had an open 6-inch gash across the back of her skull. Even so, first responders declined to take further action.”

It was allegedly after all EMS and law enforcement had left that De La Cruz returned. Authorities do not know what transpired from that time to 11:30 a.m. the next morning when the call about the baby came in. However, Baltazar’s attorneys state she was severely concussed and unable to be easily awoken.

ValleyCentral reached out to Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez for comment on the charges being dismissed against Baltazar. He sent the following statement:

“I respect the district attorney’s office decision … We tried our best,” Lopez said. “We worked with the district attorney’s office to get the right charges. But I guess at the very end, they saw something we didn’t, and maybe they felt it was the best route to go.”

De La Cruz’s last known charges were assault, family violence and a second count of assault causing bodily injury.

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.

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