Mom says 5-year-old died of ingesting toilet cleaner after child's decaying body found in closet, cops await autopsy report
HOUSTON, TEXAS: A 27-year-old mother was arrested after she confessed to hiding her 5-year-old daughter's body inside an apartment closet after she died of ingesting harmful chemicals.
The grisly discovery was made by the Houston Police Department around 2:30 p.m. on September 2 in a Quail Creek apartment after a few family members called the authorities. They had shown up at the victim's house after not having heard from 5-year-old Sierra Patino for a number of days.
When they inquired about a foul smell coming from inside the apartment, the girl's mother, Priscilla Nicole Torres admitted that the odor was coming from her daughter's body, which had been rotting inside a closet for a week.
Firefighters who retrieved the body from the closet, shielded it from public view as it was in a state of decay.
“No matter how the child died, whether it was accidental or an intentional death, you know for a body to be in a closet for several days, it’s just, it’s pretty unthinkable,” Houston police Lt. Larry Crowson told ABC13. “We’re not sure of the circumstances. We don’t know if it’s an accidental death or an international death, that will be part of the investigation.”
The police said that the mother of the victim gave several accounts of the events that led to Patino's death.
In one of the initial accounts, Torres told the authorities that a bottle of toilet cleaner reportedly fell in the bathtub where she was giving her daughter a bath. As a result, the victim's face started peeling and died the following day. In another account, she blamed her boyfriend, whom she lived with, for causing the accident.
"Her boyfriend offered to give the child a bath while the defendant made dinner," authorities explained. "The door was closed and upon opening the door, she observed her boyfriend with the daughter... She said her daughter was exhibiting chemical burns to her extremities, also some redness and bruises to the forehead."
Later on, Torres diverted from her original account, telling the police that her daughter suffered for days with stomach complications before dying. All the while she refrained from bringing Patino's condition to the attention of the Child Protective Services as she was afraid that the agency will take action against her.
After the death of her daughter, Torres said she wrapped her body in a blanket and put her in the closet.
Investigators are currently waiting for autopsy results to determine whether the 5-year-old's death was accidental or intentional and what part of Torres' statements were true. It will also reveal what kind of chemicals Patino might have ingested. The mother faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence, a human corpse and was being held on a $50,000 bond.
The Galena Park Independent School District released the following statement on the girl's death: "Galena Park ISD was made aware today and is deeply saddened that the young child who tragically lost her life last week was enrolled at Jacinto City Elementary. Counseling and support have been provided for students and staff and will continue as long as needed. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and ask our community to pray during this very difficult time."