Two individuals have been detained in connection with the death of a 12-year-old girl whose parents allegedly neglected to seek medical assistance, according to the police.
Miranda Sipps, a cheerleader and student at Jourdanton Junior High School, passed away on the evening of August 12 after her mother called for help when Miranda experienced respiratory distress.
The Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office released a statement: “Sheriff’s 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call requesting medical assistance from a Christine woman last night after 8:00 p.m.”
“Dispatchers instructed the mother to stop her vehicle at Hwy 16 South and FM 140 where EMS met her. The victim who was alive but unconscious, was transported to Methodist Hospital.”
Despite the efforts of medical professionals, Miranda was declared dead at 9:55 pm local time.
Local authorities immediately commenced an investigation into the girl’s death.
Findings from the investigation led to the arrest of Miranda’s mother, Denise Balbaneda, and stepfather, Gerald Gonzalez. They are accused of delaying medical help for days while Miranda was ‘mentally and physically incapacitated and non-responsive’.
Sheriff David Soward stated during a press conference that the pair avoided calling emergency services sooner to prevent drawing attention to Miranda’s condition.
Denise and Gerald allegedly tried to manage the situation on their own by feeding Miranda smoothies and vitamins.
David Soward claimed they did this despite Miranda’s unresponsive state.
“Basically they thought they could nurse her back to health and we do not think they wanted the attention that this would draw if the little girl was injured,” the sheriff alleged.
“Which is strangely ironic, but that was their line of thinking.”
During the four days prior to hospitalization, Denise and Gerald might have attempted to provide oxygen to Miranda, according to Soward.
Miranda was reportedly only able to ‘flutter her eyes and move her hands a little bit over a four-day period’, said the sheriff.
The sheriff further stated that although the emergency call was made from the child’s home, Denise left with Miranda before the police arrived to prevent them from seeing the inside of their home.
No details have been released regarding the extent of Miranda’s ‘life-threatening’ injuries.
Both Denise and Gerald have been charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission.
These first-degree felony charges carry the potential for a life sentence in prison.
The police investigation continues, and the final autopsy report is still pending.