Texas Parents Attempt to Treat 12-Year-Old’s Critical Injuries with Smoothies, Resulting in Tragic Death
Police say the mother and stepfather of a 12-year-old girl from Texas were charged with a crime after she died from serious injuries they tried to treat with smoothies for four days instead of taking her to the hospital.
A news release from Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward says that Miranda Sipps, a cheerleader at Christine, Texas’s Jourdanton Junior High School, was declared dead at 9:55 p.m. on August 12 after being taken to the hospital unconscious.
Less than two hours before the girl died, her mother called 911 and met the first responders on a nearby highway to get Sipp’s help. Police say she was still alive but dazed.
Investigators found that Sipps had serious injuries on August 8 that could have killed her. For four days, her parents “failed to seek medical attention” even though the girl was “incapable and non-responsive,” according to the news release.
Police say that the cheerleader’s mother, 36-year-old Denise Balbaneda, finally called 911 when Sipps was having trouble breathing.
At a news meeting on August 15, Soward said he’s “not 100% sure” how the injuries happened. According to the police report, the girl was “not talking” and could only “flutter her eyes and move her hands a little bit” while lying on a bed in their home for four days before her mother called 911. Soward said there were no other kids in the house at the time.
The sheriff also said that the girl’s parents were giving her smoothies to help her feel better.
“They were trying to give her smoothies, but somebody unconscious is not able to swallow,” he said.
He also said that the mother and husband “admitted” they didn’t do anything to help their daughter get medical help.
They were both arrested on August 13 and charged with injury to a child causing major bodily injury by omission, which is a first-degree felony, according to the police.
Balbaneda called 911 and then met police and first responders on the highway with her daughter instead of having them come to their house. Soward said their house was “kind of dirty” and “not well taken care of.”
“They thought they could nurse her back to health, and we do not think they wanted the attention that this would draw to them if the little girl was injured,” Soward added.
The girls were saved by hospital staff for an hour before they said she was dead, Soward said. He also said that no bones were broken and that a medical report is still being made.
The sheriff only said that it had nothing to do with the girl’s school and didn’t give any other information.
Pricilla Chapa, Sipps’ aunt, set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the death of our beloved niece Miranda,” the fundraiser read. “She was taken from us far too soon in an unexpected way, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter, and memories that we will cherish forever.”