PALMDALE – A Palmdale mother and her boyfriend were arrested Thursday, after the woman’s young son was hospitalized with broken bones, burns and bruises throughout his body, authorities said.
Pearl Fernandez, 29, was arrested for felony child endangerment and child abuse, while her boyfriend, 32-year-old Isauro Aguirre was arrested for attempted murder, according to Sergeant Brian Hudson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau.
Deputies responding to the couple’s apartment around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night after they received a call from fire department paramedics about possible child abuse, Hudson said.
Fernandez’s 8-year-old son was battered and not breathing when authorities arrived; he had ligature marks on his ankles, burns on his body, and several other injuries, Hudson said.
Neighbor Claudia Segoviano (right) spoke to detectives. She said the mother dressed her son in a girl’s dress as punishment
The boy was rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital and then transferred to a children’s hospital in Los Angeles, where he was still in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon.
“He has a skull fracture, he has several broken ribs, and just bruising about his entire body,†Hudson said.
Detectives were investigating Thursday at the apartment complex where the couple lived with the boy and his older sister and brother in the 200 Block of East Avenue Q-10 in Palmdale.
Neighbor Claudia Segoviano (right) spoke to detectives. She said the mother dressed her son in a girl’s dress as punishment.
A few neighbors said they heard scary screams and wails coming from the family’s three-bedroom upstairs apartment late Wednesday night, and one woman in an adjacent apartment building said she heard banging sounds.
A neighbor who spoke to detectives said she and several other residents at the complex suspected that something was wrong with the little boy for months.
“Everybody noticed, because he would come out to take out the trash and wouldn’t talk to nobody,†said Claudia Segoviano, whose apartment sits directly across the stairwell from the family.
Segoviano said the little boy seldom left the house, and she did not believe the boy even attended school.
Animal control officers removed several cats from the family’s home.
She said she noticed greenish bruises on the little boy’s face, arms and legs many times when she saw him taking out the trash.
“I wanted to report it, but then when I would want to, I would always see a social worker, so I thought, ‘how can I report it if there’s already somebody involved in it?’†Segoviano said. “And I saw like one time the cops came when he was all messed up, and they left. [The boy] stayed there and they left.â€
On a couple of occasions, Segoviano said she saw the young boy dressed in girls’ clothing.
“I saw him dressed up in a girl’s dress two times, my mom said she saw him three times,†Segoviano said, adding that the boy was also dressed in girls’ shoes. She said she witnessed Fernandez ordering her son down the stairs while he was dressed as a girl.
“He was sad, you could tell, like nobody likes to be dressed as the opposite sex,†Segoviano said. “I asked my brother, ‘what happened to him?’ and my little brother said that was a form of punishment,†Segoviano added.
“I heard that same thing, but I cannot confirm that occurred,†Hudson said.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for the family’s apartment Thursday morning and detectives could be seen removing dresses from the apartment, while animal control offices removed a crate of cats.
“We found items of evidentiary value that will assist with the case,†Hudson said. “There was nothing extraordinary about the condition of the apartment.â€
The boy’s two older siblings, ages 10 and 12, were taken into protective custody, Hudson said. Authorities are still investigating whether the older siblings were abused as well.
UPDATE: The Sheriff’s Department has issued a press release regarding this incident. Read the full press release below:
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau are investigating the attempted murder of an eight year-old child that occurred on Wednesday May 22, 2013.
Los Angeles County Fire personnel responded to the victim’s residence at approximately 11 p.m. regarding a child not breathing call. When they arrived they found the victim with numerous injuries which were indicative of child abuse. The child was treated on scene and transported to a local hospital, and subsequently transferred to a hospital in the Los Angeles area. The child is hospitalized with severe injuries including a skull fracture, several broken ribs, several burns to his body, and is in critical condition.
During an interview with detectives, the boyfriend of the child’s mother, Suspect Isauro Aguirre admitted to causing the injuries to the victim. The child’s mother admitted to being present during the assault and did not intervene on behalf of the victim.
Suspect Aguirre was arrested and booked at Lancaster Sheriff’s Station for Attempted Murder. His bail is set at one million dollars.
Suspect Fernandez was arrested and booked at Palmdale Sheriff’s Station for Child Abuse. Her bail is set at $100,000.
Both suspects are residents of Palmdale.
Neighbor Claudia Segoviano (right) spoke to detectives. She said the mother dressed her son in a girl’s dress as punishment
