A Texas mother and her girlfriend face felony charges after authorities say they coordinated their stories to hide weeks of brutal abuse that left a 6-year-old girl with catastrophic brain injuries requiring emergency skull surgery.
Bexar County deputies arrested 30-year-old Jessica Salazar and 28-year-old Destinee Hernandez after investigators discovered text messages and phone records showing the pair worked together to mislead law enforcement about how the child sustained injuries so severe that surgeons had to remove part of her skull to relieve swelling.
The case began when paramedics rushed the girl to a San Antonio hospital in critical condition. Medical staff documented extensive injuries consistent with prolonged physical abuse, not a single accident. The child required immediate neurosurgery — a craniectomy to remove a portion of her skull and prevent fatal brain damage from swelling.
Court documents reveal Salazar and Hernandez had been calling and texting each other to align their accounts of what happened before speaking with investigators. The coordination effort fell apart under questioning, according to the affidavit filed with the court.
Hernandez, who lived with Salazar and the child, allegedly inflicted the abuse over an extended period. Salazar, the girl’s mother, is accused of witnessing the mistreatment and failing to protect her daughter or seek medical care until the injuries became life-threatening.
Both women face charges of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony in Texas carrying a potential sentence of five to 99 years in prison. Prosecutors may pursue additional charges as the investigation continues.
The child remains hospitalized in serious condition. Child Protective Services has taken custody, and the girl’s prognosis for full recovery remains uncertain given the severity of the brain trauma.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters his office sees too many cases where adults who should protect children instead enable their abuse. “When you have two adults conspiring to cover up what happened to a defenseless child, that’s not just criminal negligence — that’s active participation in destroying a life,” he said at a press briefing.
The case now moves to the district attorney’s office. Both suspects remain in custody on $250,000 bond each. A grand jury will review evidence to determine whether the charges proceed to trial.
Key Points
- A 6-year-old girl required skull surgery after suffering extensive abuse prosecutors say was inflicted over weeks
- Text and phone records show the mother and her girlfriend aligned their stories before speaking to law enforcement
- Both women face first-degree felony charges carrying up to 99 years in prison; the child remains hospitalized in serious condition
