MOTHER OF TEN NEGLECTED HER DAUGHTER, 5 – GIRL FOUND DEATH WITH INJURIES ‘FROM HER HEAD TO HER FEET

The mother of a five-year-old girl could be facing murder charges after the child was found dead in her home with cuts and bruises from her head to her feet.

Candy Flores was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at her tiny southwest Houston apartment complex, where she lived with 14 others.

Her mother, Rosa Gonzalez, 41, told police she sustained the injuries while falling off the toilet.

Someone in the home called 911 and officers found the five-year-old on the floor of the only bedroom in the house. She had a contusion on her face and a cut on her nose. Paramedics tried to revive her but to no avail. A medical examiner said that Candy's injuries did not match up with what her mother told detectives as he found many injuries, some of which were fresh and some in different processes of healing.

During questioning, Houston Police say Rosa later admitted her daughter was being abused for some time. HPD homicide investigator Kevin Carr told the Houston Chronicle that Candy had bruises and scratches from her head to the bottom of her feet and injuries on her face, arms, chest and legs. 'The way the initial injury was described was not consistent with the other injuries observed,' he said. 'This one child in within this large family was targeted.'

Candy was also severely malnourished and had the body of a three-year-old rather than a five-year-old. Her rib cage was visible, her face shallow and she had dark circles around her eyes. Gonzalez had nine other children - two adult daughters and seven minors, who range in age from 21 to two months old.

Gonzalez's 21-year-old daughter was also living in the apartment with her four children, ranging in age from ten months to five years old, Carr said. CPS took the nine children into custody. They are interviewing them about their home life and trying to determine if they will stay with relatives for the time being.

It did not appear as if any other children had been abused but the family are known to have a history with Child protective services.

Original Source : dailymail.co.uk