Immigration hold placed on mom charged in death of 4-year-old daughter. (KHOU-TX)

Immigration hold placed on mom charged in death of 4-year-old daughter
by khou.com staff

Posted on June 15, 2011 at 3:51 PM

HOUSTON – Maciel Sandoval, the 27-year-old mother charged in connection with the death of her 4-year-ol daughter, appeared before a Harris County judge overnight.

Sandoval was charged with injury to a child and had an immigration hold placed against her at the probable cause hearing. Sandoval is a citizen of Nicaragua.

Her daughter, Betsabeth Sandoval, was found unresponsive on June 3 in the northeast Houston apartment where she lived with her mom, her mom’s roommate and the roommate’s 14-year-old son.

Sandoval told investigators she’d gone to work that day and left Betsabeth with her roommate, Judith Herrera-Garcia.

Herrera-Garcia told investigators that around noon, she’d walked into the room and found Betsabeth unresponsive on the floor. She said she called police and started CPR, to no avail.

Betsabeth was pronounced dead on arrival at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital.

Sandoval, Herrera-Garcia and Herrera-Garcia’s son were all questioned and released.

But on Monday, Sandoval and Herrera-Garcia, 36, were charged in connection with the child’s death.

Investigators said Betsabeth had multiple bruises, cuts and fractures when she died, and both women were responsible for her health and well-being.

The two suspects were arrested Monday afternoon and booked in the Harris County Jail.

Investigators said it could be weeks before there is an official cause of death from the Medical Examiner. That’s because they are waiting on toxicology and other tests.

Depending on the official cause of death, the current charges could be upgraded, even to murder.