Mom accused of ‘failing to protect’ son who died from blunt force trauma by an alligator, drowning, police say

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - The mother of the 12-year-old boy who died from “blunt force trauma due to an alligator and drowning” has been arrested, according to authorities.

New Orleans Police arrested 34-year-old Hilda Vasquez, the mother of Bryan Vasquez, in connection with his death. She was charged with negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to juveniles.

Detectives have spoken with Vasquez after the 12-year-old’s body was found on Aug. 26, and said that her statements had been conflicting.

Vasquez allegedly told police she gave Bryan a sleep aid medication at 8 p.m. Aug. 13. She said around 3 a.m., she woke up to care for her newborn and found Bryan in the kitchen searching for food.

Vasquez allegedly told investigators it was common for Bryan to wake in the middle of the night and that she guided him back to his sister’s room to bed.

She said later that morning, she prepared her six-year-old son for school, which was about five blocks away. Vasquez said she hadn’t updated Bryan’s school with her new address, and therefore neither his sister nor he had bus transportation.

Detectives said she decided to let them stay home, bringing her younger son to school with her newborn, leaving Bryan and his sister alone at home.

Vasquez allegedly didn’t check on Bryan before leaving, assuming he was still asleep. According to court records, Vasquez told investigators she went straight to her bedroom after bringing her younger child to school, without checking on Bryan.

It was only around 10 a.m. that Vasquez called for her daughter and the little girl told her Bryan had gone missing. That is when they allegedly discovered the open window in the bedroom the children shared, prompting the days-long search for the 12-year-old boy.

Investigators say Vasquez soon disclosed two separate times Bryan had run away just days before he’d gone missing Aug. 14.

Vasquez told police that at her previous house, he had been found by police completely naked and drinking water from a drainage ditch on Aug. 1.

Just three days later, she said she was asleep when a neighbor knocked on her door, having found Bryan after a separate escape and brought him home. The incident wasn’t reported to the police the second time, according to the records.

As the investigation progressed, it began to emerge that there were confirmed signs of child criminal neglect.

“As a result of Vasquez’s failure to protect and check on Bryan, he sustained serious bodily harm after he left the residence and entered the water,” police wrote.