UPDATE: Hernandez charged with capital murder.
The Irving Police Department is currently investigating the death of a newborn child that was discovered on April 20. The initial investigation has revealed that the mother of the deceased child is the 14-year-old victim of a sexual assault that the Irving Police Department is currently investigating. As a result of that investigation, 51-year-old Mauricio Hernandez, of Irving, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault. The initial investigation started when the victim was taken to the hospital due to bleeding.
Once the victim was at the hospital, she made an outcry statement about the sexual assault, being pregnant and giving birth to a baby. The Irving Police Department was contacted at that point and an investigation was initiated. The child was discovered a short time later and pronounced deceased.
During the course of the investigation, investigators learned that the victim was pregnant as a result of the sexual assault and that Hernandez provided the victim with pills that would terminate the pregnancy. As a result of taking the pills, the victim gave birth to a child that died shortly after birth.
The victim and suspect know one another but their relationship is not being released. Hernandez is currently in-custody at the Irving Jail on one count of aggravated sexual assault; however, additional charges may be filed against Hernandez pending further investigation.
Hernandez is currently employed by the Irving ISD as a custodian. At this point, investigators have no evidence that would lead them to believe that there are any other sexual assault victims.
The Irving ISD issued the following statement via email this afternoon, "The Administrative staff at Irving ISD has been notified by the Irving Police Department of the arrest and an ongoing investigation of a custodial district employee. The employee has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation conducted by the Irving Police Department."
Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz held a news conference this afternoon and added the following details:
- The baby was found dead in a portable toilet in a soccer complex.
- The 14-year-old’s mother noticed that her daughter seemed odd when she got home that day and noticed she was bleeding.
- Police received a disturbance call at the 2400 block of W. 5th Street in South Irving.
- The girl was in her final trimester of pregnancy.
-
Hernandez’s bond has been set at $100,000.
UPDATE: Irving ISD is confirming that Hernandez did work at Lamar Middle School and that Superintendent Dr. Dana T. Bedden has placed him on administrative leave “without” pay.
Hernandez (51) was the common-law husband of the victim's mother, 34 year old, Maria Roxana Solorzano.
The victim told her mother that she had been having sexual intercourse with Hernandez since she was 13 years old and had been pregnant with his baby. She also said that Hernandez had given her some pills a few days ago to "make her feel better". It is alleged that the pills caused the victim to go into labor.
The girl told police officers that she went to the Irving Soccer Complex near Beltline Rd and SH 161 (3585 World Cup Way) with Hernandez and her younger brother. She told hospital staff later that she was cramping, so she waited inside Hernandez' Ford F150 while Hernandez and her brother played soccer. When the cramping intensified, she went into an outdoor portable toilet. According to her testimony she heard a "large plop" come out and when she looked down into the waste tank, she saw a "small hand in the blue water". She cleaned herself and returned to the truck to wait on Hernandez.
Irving Police found dried blood inside and outside of the outdoor portable toilet. They also found the deceased newborn infant, approximately 5-8 pounds and 12-18 inches long with the placenta still attached. The deceased infant was found inside the waste tank submerged in the liquid chemical deodorizer and covered with towelettes.
The autopsy performed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office determined the deceased infant to have been 35-39 weeks old and alive at the time of birth.
Irving Police investigators searched Hernandez' residence and truck. DNA testing will be performed on samples of saliva and blood obtained during the searches.
UPDATE: Hernandez charged with capital murder.
