SANDRA FLORES - 10 yo - Zeeland/Holland (SW of Grand Rapids) MI

An inconclusive autopsy Friday did not lead police any closer to
determining the cause of a 10-year-old Zeeland girl’s suspicious death.

Sandra Flores was reportedly convulsing when her parents took her to
Holland Hospital around 2 p.m. Thursday, according to Zeeland police
Chief Bill Olney.

Shortly after arrival at the hospital, Flores died, Olney said.

An emergency room physician noticed injuries on her body, including
bruising on her side, head and cheek, and alerted the Holland Police
Department.

The death was ruled suspicious, but no arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon.

“No one is in custody, and we do not believe anyone is at large who
would pose a threat to other children,” Olney said during a press
conference Friday afternoon.

As a 10-year-old, Sandra Flores had lived through enough emotional and physical pain for any adult, let alone a young girl.
She was sexually abused as a 6-year-old by two different adults, was
physically and emotionally abused by family members, then began to
injure herself in late 2008, Ottawa County Family Court records show.This week, the Zeeland girl died under what police are calling suspicious circumstances.
Sandra, a student at Roosevelt Elementary, died Thursday after being
brought to Holland Hospital by her father, Salvador Flores, and
stepmother, Cilvana Flores. She had bruises on her face and side, but
they did not cause her death. Initial autopsy results did not pinpoint a
cause of death.
No one has been charged with any crime relating to Sandra's death.
Police are hoping toxicology reports can determine a cause of death.
"We have a suspicious death right now," Zeeland Police Chief William
Olney said. "We have not come up with evidence that would provide proof
beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed."
A doctor at Holland Hospital called police after the finding the bruising on the child.
"He thought that was abnormal," Olney said.
The girl's father, in a brief interview outside his Creekside Apartments unit on North State Street, attributed the bruising to Sandra hitting herself.
"She would crush herself and hit herself. She had a problem," Salvador Flores said in Spanish, through an interpreter.
He said Sandra became ill after taking medication to control
seizures. He believes the medication caused his daughter to become
unconscious.
A Children's Protective Services petition contained in court records
appears to give some credence to claims that Sandra sometimes harmed
herself. In November 2008, CPS staff determined she'd injured herself
severely enough, with facial bruises and genital injuries, to require
surgery. She reportedly gave herself body scratches and severe bruising
in August 2009.
"These self-injurious behaviors have been increasing in severity," a CPS worker wrote last year.
The self-injury apparently started after allegations that Sandra was
sexually abused by a male relative while in her mother's care in early
2007, and by another man in June 2008. She was temporarily placed in
foster care in November 2008. Eventually, she was placed in the care of
her father.
Salvador Flores had custody because a judge determined Sandra's
mother was physically abusive to her, and failed to protect her from the
sexual abuse.
While in her father's custody, court records show Sandra had a bloody
nose, bruises on her body and black eyes at various times in 2008 that
were "not explained."
Olney said police know the girl was on medication, but he did not
know what type. The Floreses told police Sandra was convulsing and sick
to her stomach before they brought her to the hospital about 2 p.m.
Thursday.
Court records show Sandra is the oldest of three children in the
home. She has a 7-year-old step-brother and 5-year-old step-sister.
Roosevelt Elementary Principal Judy Tuttle said Sandra, who would have been a fourth-grader this fall, enjoyed school.
"She had a hello for everybody," describing the girl as having an
infectious laugh. "You could hear her laughing and know it was her."
"She loved books and worked hard for her teachers," Tuttle said. "Her stepmother walked her home from school everyday."
"This is pretty shocking. You don't expect to hear that one of your students has passed away," she said.

Holland, MI —
A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday for Sandra Flores, a 10-year-old Zeeland girl who died last week.

Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Catholic
Church, 171 W. 13th St., in Holland. A funeral is set to follow at 11
a.m.

Flores was reportedly convulsing last Thursday when her parents took
her to Holland Hospital, where she died shortly after arrival, according
to police.

Police ruled the death suspicious after a hospital physician alerted law enforcement to extensive bruising on the girl’s body.

No arrests have been announced.
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/newsnow/x839829975/Funeral-set-for-Sandra-Flores

Nothing new on this tragedy but I found this article heartbreaking to read.
ZEELAND -- Isabelle Bennett and her teddy bear are inseparable.The bear, a birthday present from her 10-year-old friend, Sandra Flores, has been to the zoo, on bike rides, and has slept beside her each night since last Thursday, the day she learned of her friend's sudden death.The stuffed animal, now all she has left of her friend, has a new name: "Sandra Bear."Sandra died shortly after her father and stepmother brought her to the Holland Hospital emergency room. A doctor there became suspicious of trauma on her body -- cuts and bruises on her head and cheeks -- and notified police. For now, the cause of her death remains undetermined and, police say, suspicious.No one has been charged with any crime in connection to her death. Authorities hope the results of toxicology tests will provide more information.For those who knew Sandra, the unanswered questions are hard.Erica Bennett, Isabelle's mother, hugged her daughter as the two held candles at a vigil Monday in Flores' honor at the apartment complex where the girl lived with her father and stepmother. More than 50 people attended. Isabelle only looked at the ground and wiped away tears as she listened to friends, classmates and strangers talking of the girl her mom said was Isabelle's "best friend."Sandra, she said, came to school in baggy, torn clothes and seemed to have few possessions to her name, but she somehow found a way to give Isabelle the treasured bear."She had a big heart, not a care in the world when she was at school," Bennett said of Sandra.In recent months, Bennett said her daughter worried when Sandra failed to show up for school for several days at a time, or talked repeatedly of troubles she faced at home."It was always hard for her; she knew something was wrong," Erica Bennett said of Isabelle, who struggled to comprehend the things her friend was telling her. "She'd worry until she saw her again."Dawn Eding stood feet away with her daughter, Brenna Wedeven, who was two grades ahead of Sandra at Roosevelt Elementary. Brenna recalled memories of the little girl walking to school, shivering, with no coat or gloves."People used to give her things because she was so cold. They'd let her borrow things," Brenna said, explaining how Sandra was shy and would not otherwise ask for anything. "A lot of people at school made fun of her because of the way she dressed and looked. She had bruises all over her arms and legs and cuts everywhere."Parents at the vigil said while they'd shared their concerns about Sandra's welfare for months, they didn't know what to do. Some said they had called social workers. Many just wished they had been more adamant in seeking help for her. Court records show Sandra was sexually abused as a 6-year-old by two adults, was physically and emotionally abused by family members, then began to injure herself in late 2008.The girl's father, Salvador Flores, said last week that his daughter became ill after taking medication to control her seizures. He also said Sandra sometimes harmed herself.In November 2008, Children's Protective Services staff determined she had injured herself severely enough, with facial bruises and genital injuries, to require surgery, according to court records. She reportedly gave herself body scratches and severe bruising in August 2009.Sandra was removed from her mother's care and eventually placed with her father. While in her father's custody, court records show Sandra had a bloody nose, bruises on her body and black eyes at various times in 2008 that were "not explained."E-mail Heidi Fenton: hfenton@grpress.com

A year after 10-year-old Zeeland girl's 'suspicious' death, cause is undetermined

By John Tunison | jtunison@mlive.com
on August 05, 2011 at 12:18 PM
updated August 06, 2011 at 8:36 AM

ZEELAND -- A year to the day after 10-year-old Sandra Flores died under what police called suspicious circumstances, authorities say an autopsy could not pinpoint the cause of death.

Spectrum Health forensic pathologist Dr. Stephen Cohle ruled the cause as "indeterminable," Zeeland police Chief Bill Olney said today.

The autopsy on Sandra, who died Aug. 5, 2010, had been pending for months as pathologists performed detailed toxicology and other tests on the girl's remains.

Sandra died after being brought unconscious to Holland Hospital by her father and step-father. The father said she became ill after taking anti-seizure medication, but police became concerned after a doctor found bruising on the girl's side and face.

Olney said the case will remain open as a 'suspicious death,' but officers do not currently have further evidence to explore.

"I think there people out there that could provide historical information about the family but they are reluctant to provide it," he said.

"It's still an active investigation, but we have nothing to go on," Olney said.

In Ottawa County Family Court records, Child Protective Services workers believed Sandra had injured herself in the past.

But the pattern of self-injury apparently started after allegations that Sandra was sexually abused by a male relative while in her mother's care in early 2007, and by another man in June 2008.

She was temporarily placed in foster care in November 2008. Eventually, she was placed in the care of her father.

Salvador Flores, the father, had custody because a judge determined Sandra's mother was physically abusive to her, and failed to protect her from the sexual abuse.

While in her father's custody, court records show Sandra had a bloody nose, bruises on her body and black eyes at various times in 2008 that were "not explained."

When she died, Sandra's family lived at Creekside Apartments on North State Street in Zeeland. She had attended Roosevelt Elementary School and was the oldest of three children in the Flores' home.

A Facebook page has been created in her memory.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/08/a_year_after_10-year-old_zeela.html

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandra-Flores-In-the-arms-of-an-angel/129537320424113?sk=wall