11-yr-old boy found dead in US, was locked in closet for 3 years by mother
Los Angeles: A woman has been charged with murder and child abuse for locking up her 11-year-old son in a closet at her home in Los Angeles for three years until he was found dead earlier this year.
According to a report in Los Angeles Times, the mother, identified as 39-year-old Veronica Aguilar, allegedly kept her son sedated by feeding him liquid sleeping aids in the closet of her home in
Her son, Yonatan Daniel Aguilar, was found dead on August 22 and his body was covered with pressure sores from lying on the tiles floor for three years. The boy was also allegedly beaten up and his body weighed 34-pound when it was recovered from the closet.
Yonatan's death was reported to the authorities by his stepfather, Jose Pinzon, who did not know that the minor was locked up in the closet. Veronica told him about Yonatan on the day he died, following which he informed the authorities about his stepson’s death.
However, Veronica's three other children, aged 14, 16, and 18 years old, were aware that Yonatan was locked up in the closet. Two of them slept in the room where he was locked up.
They said that their mother had forbidden them from speaking anything about this, authorities said. Veronica had told Pinzon and others that Yonatan was at an institution in Mexico.
Court records suggest Yonatan might have been autistic, which could have been the reason behind the alleged abuse. Veronica has, however, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death.
The investigation into his death also revealed that six reports were filed with the Department of Children and Family Services, alleging abuse or neglect by the family.
