On July 16, 2023, six-month-old Keeley Tesillo-Gabaldon was found unresponsive on an adult bed in a Days Inn motel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico, next to her twin sister. Her father, Lawrence Gabaldon, had been watching the twins while their mother, Gloria Tesillo, was working at the motel; he admitted to using fentanyl and other drugs before passing out. Upon waking, Gabaldon found Keeley unresponsive and ran to the lobby shouting that the baby was purple. The motel room was littered with drug paraphernalia, including straw pipes, foil with burnt residue, Suboxone strips, and a black tar-like residue covering the floor. The autopsy determined the cause of death to be the toxic effects of methamphetamine, with the manner of death ruled undetermined due to unclear circumstances of how the infant was exposed. Both parents were charged; the mother was convicted of first-degree child abuse resulting in death and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The medical examiner report (2023-05142_NM.pdf) states the cause of death as "Toxic effects of methamphetamine" with "Methamphetamine 13 ng/mL and amphetamine 8.9 ng/mL" found in the infant's postmortem blood. Multiple news articles confirm this. Additionally, the Yahoo article states that hair testing on the surviving twin found "Cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamines, benzodiazepines and cannabis," indicating chronic drug exposure to both infants.
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The Yahoo article states the father "told police he was on pills while he was with the girls but then 'crashed out.'" The truecrimenews article confirms the "father told investigators he was watching the twins, and he admitted to using fentanyl before passing out." The mother left the infants in a motel room littered with drug paraphernalia in the care of a father who was actively using drugs and subsequently passed out, constituting clearly inappropriate supervision.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The medical examiner report explicitly lists "Unsafe sleep environment" as a finding, noting "Decedent unresponsive in an adult bed with bedding and multiple surrounding objects." The narrative further states: "Given the characteristics of the livor, the adult bed containing bedding and multiple objects, and the history of prematurity it is possible that an unsafe sleep environment may have been a contributory factor to death."
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The medical examiner report identifies the man as "the father of the decedent" who "was doing drugs and passed out and when he woke up, he found Keeley unresponsive." The Yahoo article identifies Lawrence Gabaldon as the father, charged with "child abuse and reckless child abuse resulting in death." He admitted to using fentanyl and passing out while watching the twins.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Gloria Tesillo, the biological mother, was found guilty of "first-degree child abuse resulting in death and third-degree child abuse" (truecrimenews article) and sentenced to 18 years (KRQE article). She left her 6-month-old twins in a motel room littered with drug paraphernalia in the care of their drug-using father.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
The medical examiner report's narrative states: "the history of prematurity it is possible that an unsafe sleep environment may have been a contributory factor to death." This explicitly references a history of prematurity for the infant.
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The KOB article states: "Tesillo's two other children had been removed from her case, just a few years before those twins were born." This indicates prior child protection involvement with the mother's other children/siblings of the deceased.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Both parents were charged. The KOB article reports Gloria Tesillo was charged with "child abuse and possession of a controlled substance." The Yahoo article confirms Lawrence Gabaldon was charged with "one count each of child abuse and reckless child abuse resulting in death." Tesillo was convicted and sentenced to 18 years (KRQE article).
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The Yahoo article states Tesillo "originally lied about Gabaldon being the one responsible for watching the children out of fear of retaliation from him." While not an explicit reference to domestic violence, her fear of retaliation from the father in the context of their relationship may suggest a threatening or violent dynamic.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Multiple sources confirm the death occurred at a Days Inn motel. The KOB article states "First responders found a six-month-old baby girl dead at a Days Inn hotel in northwest Albuquerque." The KRQE article confirms "Tesillo was working at the motel at the time" and the Yahoo article describes the family staying at the motel.
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The law enforcement press release (ladailypost) describes Gabaldon as an "extremely dangerous repeat violent offender" and states he was arrested on "an outstanding federal absconder warrant for violation of conditions of parole." Being on federal parole at the time of the infant's death indicates prior convictions predating this incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple sources document parental substance use. The medical examiner report states the father "was doing drugs and passed out." The Yahoo article reports Gabaldon "told police he was on pills" and the truecrimenews article states the father "admitted to using fentanyl before passing out." The room was littered with drug paraphernalia including "a straw pipe, foil with burnt residue, a digital scale, Suboxone strips, narcotics pill bottles and a black bag filled with a 'white powdery substance.'"
Notable Details
Several notable details emerged. First, the KOB article discusses systemic child welfare gaps: despite the mother Gloria Tesillo having had two other children previously removed from her care, the twins were not in the CYFD system and no CARA (Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act) plan was in place, as CYFD stated "There had not been any sort of indication at birth of substance exposure." Second, hair follicle testing on the surviving twin revealed positive results for cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamines, benzodiazepines, and cannabis, indicating chronic multi-drug exposure to both infants beyond the single methamphetamine finding in the deceased child. Third, the mother initially lied to police, claiming she left the twins with her sister, but "police spoke with Tesillo's mother and sister and both of them said they had never been at the hotel." She later admitted in a jail call it was the father who was watching the children.
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