A 6-year-old boy with autism who police say was severely beaten by his mother’s boyfriend last month has died from his injuries, North Miami Beach police say.
His family has issued a statement in response to his death, saying that they hope his case doesn’t “fall through the cracks” and calling for justice. They also called the boy “a beam of light,” saying he is good and pure.
Both the boy’s mother and her boyfriend face charges regarding his alleged beating
His mother, identified by police as Cythnia Hernandez, turned herself in on January 15th, facing several charges, including child neglect, failure to report child neglect, and providing a false statement to law enforcement.
She was later released from jail. Her bond was set for a total of $10,500. Hernandez was also instructed to stay away from her son, and she cannot own or carry a gun.
Her boyfriend, who is not the father of the child, was arrested on January 11th.
Daniel Eduardo Romero, 34, was charged with aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect with great bodily harm, and providing false information to law enforcement after police responded to a home on North Miami Beach regarding a report of a child in cardiac arrest. He, on the other hand, remains behind bars.
The child’s uncle tells CBS News Miami that he believes Romero deserves life in prison for what he did. No word yet on whether North Miami Beach police will add on any charges to Romero and Hernandez after the boy’s death.
The incident happened early last month and detectives arrested Romero after they say his story didn’t add up
On January 8th, 911 was called to the North Miami Beach home after the child, who was autistic and nonverbal, went into cardiac arrest.
According to Romero’s arrest report, detectives spoke to him since he was home at the time. Romero allegedly told police Mason had been outside learning to ride a bike with his mother and fell, but police say he couldn’t show them the bike when asked.
Detectives also interviewed Mason’s mother at the hospital. She told them Romero was the one teaching Mason to ride a bike. When confronted about the conflicting stories, she said Romero told her to lie. She also said her on-again, off-again boyfriend would become annoyed with Mason’s behaviors, including rocking and making noises.
Public records show Romero has been charged multiple times with battery and domestic violence, including strangulation, dating back to 2014, with the most recent incident in 2023.
