Autistic Child Beaten by Mother’s Boyfriend Dies After Weeks on Life Support
UPDATE – 2/28/26 at 2:30 pm ET: Nearly two months after being beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend, a Florida boy has died, according to reports.
Mason, 6 year old son Cynthia Elaine Hernandezhe was taken off life support on Friday, February 27, and died a short time later, his grandmother told NBC News.
Mason, who was autistic, had been in hospital in critical condition since January 9, after being rushed to the emergency room in cardiac arrest.
Hernandez and her boyfriend, Daniel Eduardo Romerothey pleaded guilty to charges related to Mason’s murder.
First story:
A Florida mother has surrendered to police after she allegedly lied to them about her speechless child’s severe injuries that nearly led to his death.
Cynthia Elaine Hernandez was booked on Friday, January 23, and charged with one count of child neglect resulting in great bodily injury, one count of failure to report child abuse or neglect and one count of giving false information to law enforcement, according to court records obtained by Law & Crime.
Her arrest comes two weeks after her boyfriend, Daniel Eduardo Romero, was also arrested on charges of child abuse and child neglect.
The incident allegedly started on January 9, when the police responded to a call that a child had been arrested. When authorities arrived at the scene, the 6-year-old boy had no pulse and was given CPR until paramedics arrived. Thankfully, medical personnel were able to save the child’s life, and he was taken to a local hospital for further treatment. There, doctors determined that the 6-year-old child had not only bruises on his face and back, swelling on his head and a broken arm, but also significant internal injuries, including bleeding on his brain and bruises on one of his kidneys, liver and liver, according to a report by NBC Miami.
During the investigation, Romero, 34, told police that the cuts and bruises were the result of falling off the bike while teaching the boy to ride. However, when the police asked to see the bike, Romero allegedly could not show them. He then told police that the injury happened while they were playing with the buggy – a police report said it had a broken tire and appeared to have been unused.
He said he chose not to take the boy to the hospital because he did not see the extent of the injuries at the time. The next day, the child passed out and 911 was called.
When asked about her son’s condition, Hernandez, 32, repeated Romero’s story about the alleged fall from the bicycle. She later admitted that her boyfriend told her to tell the story to the police, and that she feared that he might have caused her son’s injuries. Hernandez also informed investigators that Romero often became frustrated with her son’s behavior related to his autism diagnosis.
On the day of the incident, it is said that Romero told him that his son hit his head on television. He noticed that there was swelling on the back of his head, so he treated the injury with ice and gave him medicine. He left home for an extended period of time, but when he returned, the 6-year-old was said to have bruises on his face and a new bump on his forehead. Romero then told him that the boy had fallen while running around the house wearing socks.
Romero was arrested and is being held without bond. He was charged with aggravated child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury and providing false information to law enforcement.
A woman has been arrested in Arizona after allegedly shooting a 4-year-old boy in the face over a breakup she had with the toddler’s uncle. Joanna Chalup Cortez has been charged in connection with the shooting of a four-year-old child on Tuesday, January 6, at a home south of Phoenix, Arizona, according to a report. […]
After Hernandez’s decision to plead guilty, his attorney, Hugo ApellanizHe said he was “very disappointed” with the decision to charge his client, who he said was “just a victim” himself.
“People are not perfect, but this is a terrible mistake,” he continued. “The police know that our client is the victim of Daniel Romero as unfortunately his son was also a victim of his son’s life and recovery, and we look forward to his confirmation.”
If you or someone you know is being abused by children, call or text the Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
