Texas stepmom set 5-year-old girl's face on fire using alcohol because she wanted to punish the child for yelling
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS: A woman in Grand Prairie has been accused of lighting the face of her stepchild on fire for yelling. The authorities said on Friday, May 31, that 20-year-old Dalia Jiminez now faces a felony injury to a child charge in connection to the incident. Officers investigated a 911 call on Friday that involved a 5-year-old who has been burned and had to be rushed to the hospital.
WFAA reported that the burning incident took place on May 29. That initial call came from a neighbor who lives in the same apartment complex as Jimenez and her stepchild.
When the officers arrived at the scene, the found first- and second-degree burns on the child's face. Grand Prairie police Det. Greg Parker said at a press conference: "There were burns on both sides of her cheeks, down below her jawline, and small burns on her shoulders as well."
Jimenez had initially told the detectives that the injuries to her stepdaughter's face were from an accident while lighting a candle on May 11. Child Protective Services removed the 5-year-old girl and her younger sibling from the home after the authorities arrived on the scene. The investigators interviewed the girl after she was treated at Children's Medical Center Dallas and Parkland Hospital.
She told detectives that Jimenez had been responsible for her injuries. They then interviewed Jimenez and found that there were inconsistencies in her story.
Grand Prairie police said in a written statement: "She ultimately confessed to detectives that she intentionally poured rubbing alcohol on the child's face and used a lighter to set the alcohol on fire. She said she lit the child on fire to punish her for yelling"
Parker said that the girl also told investigators that she was beaten with a belt before the burning incident occurred. Her biological father was not present at the time of the attacks but Parker said that he did not request for any medical help in spite of knowing that his daughter had injuries.
The detective also said in the press conference that the father did not act because he allegedly believed what Jimenez told the authorities. Both the girl and her sibling are safe with family.
Jimenez has since bonded out of jail. The CPS and Grand Prairie Police had previously investigated Jimenez and the child's father in 2018 when the girl had a broken arm but that investigation determined that the parents were not at fault. Parker said that Jimenez had raised the child since she was a baby.