Shortly after her 17-month-old son drowned in the bathtub of her Westlake District home April 1, Nancy Jacinto told Los Angeles police investigators that she had only left the bathroom for seconds and returned to find the boy floating face down in the water.
Jacinto, a 19-year-old mother of three, said she had left to get a towel to dry off Jacob James Gaona and his 2-year-old brother. [Updated at 11:08 a.m.: In an earlier version of this post, Jacob Gaona’s last name was spelled incorrectly.]
But evidence at the home and the autopsy were inconsistent with the woman’s account, police detectives said.
Then, as investigators with the departments juvenile division were preparing to interview Jacinto, she made a startling admission, said LAPD Capt. Fabian Lizarraga
She said that while she was bathing the children, she had "needed to catch her breath. She was stressed out," Lizarraga said. "She dozed off a little bit, and when she woke up, she realized what was going on and went to check on the kids."
Rather than seconds, Jacinto was away from the bathroom for at least 12 minutes, police say.
Prosecutors have charged her with child endangerment and murder. Jacinto has pleaded not guilty.
The LAPD previously visited Jacinto’s home in January after her 3-year-old daughter came to school with a burn mark on her cheek, Lizzaraga said. The little girl initially indicated her mother had done it, and officers were sent to the home to interview the child.
Police prepared an injury report, Lizarraga said, but there was no evidence that pointed to abuse.
The explanation given to police was that the girl had grabbed a spoon used to stir eggs that were boiling. According to the interviews, the spoon was still hot when the girl grabbed the utensil and held it briefly against her face. According to the report, her face was burned, but the skin was not broken.
The case was reviewed, and on March 1, police notified the Los Angeles County of Department of Children and Family Services about the incident. An appointment to visit the residence was made, but police said it was not clear whether social workers visited the family before the death of 17-month-old Jacob.
— Andrew Blankstein