Current:Home > ScamsHouston mom charged with murder in baby son's hot car death; grandma says it's a mistake -Ascend Wealth Education
Houston mom charged with murder in baby son's hot car death; grandma says it's a mistake
View
Date:2025-04-25 22:31:41
A Texas mother has been charged with murder in the death of her infant son who died inside a car in 100-degree heat last year.
Gabriela Elyzabeth Deras, 22, was arrested Friday and charged in the death of 2-month-old Ethan Rosa Deras on Aug. 8, 2023, according to the Houston Police Department.
Officers found the child unresponsive at the Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Developmental Clinic in Houston, the department said in a news release Monday. Police later learned that Ethan was left in the vehicle "for some time before he was discovered." Paramedics took the infant to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In April, an autopsy ruled that Ethan's manner of death was a homicide, leading to Deras' arrest and murder charge, police said.
Infant's grandmother says Deras 'loved her son with her entire soul'
Deras’ mother, Leonela Deras, told KTRK-TV that the family is devasted about Ethan’s death, and are confused and hurting about the recent developments, saying that her daughter had schizophrenia, post-partem depression and could be forgetful.
She told the station that her daughter never would have intentionally killed her son.
"She loved her son with her entire soul," she told the station in Spanish, adding that losing him was like losing her own life.
Mother reportedly had mental illness or an intellectual disability
At a probable cause court hearing, a hearing officer revealed officials determined Deras has a mental illness or an intellectual disability, according to local station KTRK-TV.
A $50,000 bond has been set for Deras, who is prohibited from visiting any child unsupervised and taking any non-prescription medication, the station reported.
USA TODAY was unable to confirm whether Deras, who was booked into the Harris County Jail, has been assigned an attorney yet.
Arizona dad also facing murder charge in hot car death
Christopher Scholtes, a father from Marana, Arizona, was charged with first-degree murder in the hot car death of his 2-year-old daughter last month. The 37-year-old is accused of leaving his daughter Parker alone in his car triple-digit temperatures for hours on July 9 while he was putting groceries away and playing video games.
Scholtes left the car running with air conditioning and "wanted her to remain in the vehicle while she slept," he told police, according to court documents. However documents say the A/C system automatically shuts off after 30 minutes, something Scholtes knew. USA TODAY has been unable to reach his attorney.
Socioeconomic disparities exist in hot car death prosecutions
Previous USA TODAY reporting found that the prosecution of hot car deaths varies wildly depending on the police agency and other factors. A parent in Houston, for instance, may be charged with murder for accidentally leaving their toddler in a hot car while a parent in another city may never even be arrested.
The prosecution of such cases often seems arbitrary, Amber Rollins, director of Kids and Car Safety, previously told USA TODAY.
"There are definitely disparities, seemingly both racial and socioeconomic," she said in 2022. "If Mom lives in a trailer park she's probably more likely to be charged than if she lives in a million-dollar home ... Maybe that's because the mom in the trailer park didn't have an attorney show up at the station before she did or maybe it's just because she lived in a trailer park."
Kids and Car Safety has worked to spread awareness about the dangers of hot car deaths and warn parents that it can happen to even the most loving mom or dad.
Hot car death prevention tips
Experts and advocate groups encourage caregivers and parents to follow precautions and safety advisories to prevent a tragic heat accident, even if they believe it could never happen to them:
- Place a visual cue, such as the child's diaper bag or another item, in the front passenger seat to show that the child is with you.
- Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even if you think it's just for a minute.
- Make it a routine or habit of checking the back seat and door every time you park. To enforce this, place an item you can’t start your day without in the back seat, like your purse.
- Keep vehicles locked at all times, especially when parked, to prevent toddlers from entering on their own.
- Never leave keys within reach of children.
- Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled.
Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers and Amaris Encinas
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Living with an eating disorder, a teen finds comfort in her favorite Korean food
- Megan Thee Stallion and Soccer Star Romelu Lukaku Spark Romance Rumors With Sweetest PDA
- Elliot Page Reflects on Damaging Feelings About His Body During Puberty
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- A Bipartisan Climate Policy? It Could Happen Under a Biden Administration, Washington Veterans Say
- Olivia Holt Shares the Products She Uses To Do Her Hair and Makeup on Broadway Including This $7 Pick
- 3 dead, 5 wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- July has already seen 11 mass shootings. The emotional scars won't heal easily
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- American Climate Video: She Loved People, Adored Cats. And Her Brother Knew in His Heart She Hadn’t Survived the Fire
- The Largest Arctic Science Expedition in History Finds Itself on Increasingly Thin Ice
- The Little Mermaid: Halle Bailey’s Locs and Hair Extensions Cost $150,000
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Selling Sunset's Jason Oppenheim and Model Marie Lou Nurk Break Up After 10 Months of Dating
- Illinois city becomes haven for LGBTQ community looking for affordable housing
- Luis Magaña Has Spent 20 Years Advocating for Farmworkers, But He’s Never Seen Anything Like This
Recommendation
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
The Surprising List of States Leading U.S. on Renewable Energy
Climate Policies Could Boost Economic Growth by 5%, OECD Says
Everwood Actor John Beasley Dead at 79
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Olivia Holt Shares the Products She Uses To Do Her Hair and Makeup on Broadway Including This $7 Pick
What is a heat dome? What to know about the weather phenomenon baking Texas
New Study Shows Global Warming Intensifying Extreme Rainstorms Over North America