Seven-month-old Hazel was found unresponsive by her mother, Olivia Munoz, at their home on Marigold Street in Mathis, Texas on December 19. The child was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Hospital officials alerted police after observing injuries on the baby. Munoz admitted to police that she had injured the child during three separate incidents and had never sought medical attention for the injuries. The autopsy revealed multiple fractures in the child's arms, skull, and ribs, and the death was ruled a homicide. Munoz stated that she had directed anger toward the baby due to problems with the baby's father. She was initially charged with two counts of injury to a child, which were later upgraded to capital murder after the autopsy results were finalized.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
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)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The news article states: "When officers questioned Munoz, they said she admitted to injuring the child during three separate incidents." Additionally, "Hazel's autopsy showed that she had several fractures in her arms, skull and ribs." These findings clearly indicate inflicted physical injuries across multiple incidents.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The news article explicitly states: "Figueroa said Munoz told detectives she never took the child to get medical attention." Given that Munoz admitted to injuring the child during three separate incidents, her failure to ever seek medical care for those injuries constitutes 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?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The news article clearly identifies the biological mother, Olivia Munoz, as the perpetrator. She "admitted to injuring the child during three separate incidents" and was charged with capital murder for the death of her daughter Hazel.
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?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
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?
The news article states: "Mathis police arrested Munoz the following day and charged her with two separate counts of injury to a child." It further notes: "her charges were upgraded to capital murder after the results of the baby's autopsy were turned over to the Mathis Police Department." Olivia Munoz is currently "facing capital murder charges" and "is in the San Patricio County Jail on a $1.1 million bond."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
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?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
The news article contains several notable details not fully captured by other questions. Munoz admitted that her motive was displaced anger: "She admitted she had a lot of anger towards the 7 month old baby due to problems she had with the baby's father." Additionally, at the time of the incident, "Munoz was pregnant and the mother of another daughter, a year and five months old. The older child did not have injuries." The fact that the older sibling was unharmed while the violence was directed specifically at the youngest child, reportedly driven by anger at the children's shared biological father, provides important context about the dynamics of the case. The article also notes that Texas Rangers were called in to assist with the investigation.
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