MICAH CASTILLO - 2 yo - (2010) Anson (N of Abilene) TX

Anson Police have a man in custody after a 2-year-old boy was found dead in his home today.Ray Edward Gifford has been charged with aggravated assault and family violence along with several other charges.Police say these charges are related, but that Gifford has not been charged in the child's death.They also believe he may be the child's father.Police Chief Barrett Thomas tells us an emergency call came in from a home in the 200 block of Avenue K, earlier today, of an unresponsive child.The child, 2-year-old Micah Castillo was pronounced dead around noon at the Anson Hospital.His body has been taken to Tarrant County for an autopsy.Authorities are calling the injuries to the child "questionable."Chief Barrett Thomas says, "It has been determined there will be an investigation into how he sustained those injuries."Police say there was one other child living in the home.Child Protective Services is also investigating this case.

The death of an Anson toddler Monday has been ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.Micah Castillo, 2, died under what law enforcement officials deemed “questionable” circumstances Monday morning. Anson Police Chief Barrett Thomas said the child was found unresponsive by another person living in the home.Ray Edward Gifford was arrested Monday on charges of assault and family violence, possession of marijuana and possession of a dangerous drug. He remains in custody on bonds totaling $54,000.Gifford was one of two adults in the home, but they were not the child’s biological parents, Thomas said.

The death of an Anson toddler Monday has been ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.“That should not be confused with murder,” said Anson Police Chief Barrett Thomas. “The fact that it was determined to be a homicide merely means a more extensive investigation into the circumstances of the child’s death will occur.”
Micah Castillo, 2, died under what law enforcement officials deemed “questionable” circumstances Monday morning. Thomas said the child was found unresponsive by another person living in the home.“He had significant bruising to many areas of his body,” Thomas said. “By our own observation, his injuries were inconsistent with a fall.”Ray Edward Gifford was arrested Monday on charges of assault and family violence, possession of marijuana and possession of a dangerous drug. He remains in custody on bonds totaling $54,000.Gifford was one of two adults in the home, but they were not the child’s biological parents, Thomas said.Thomas said another child in the home was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center in Abilene.”We have not taken custody of any children (from this incident),” said Marleigh Meisner, public information officer for Child Protective Services. “Our investigation continues.”The Anson Police Department is the lead agency in the investigation and is being assisted by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers.No other charges have been filed in the case.“Rest assured, every aspect of this poor child’s last few days and hours is being looked into to find out exactly what happened,” Thomas said. “If it is determined that a criminal offense was committed, then certainly this department, along with the district attorney’s office, is prepared to levy appropriate charges against the responsible party.”Micah Ray Ignacio Castillo was born Dec. 19, 2007, in Abilene.His funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Haskell.

I to am outraged by this childs death. I hope the District Attorney pays close attention to this case. So far no one has been charged with murder. They have been charged with injury to a child. I along with the majority of the community are outraged at this childs death. This innocent child has no one to speak in his defense. This precious child lost his life in a horrible way. And the local officials need to make sure that justice is served on the two people they are holding accountable the dad and the dad's girlfriend. Also the mother needs to bear some responsibility for leaving her child for weeks on end with these people. This was such an senseless act and someone needs to be held accountable and not with injury to a child but charged with causing the death to this small tiny human. The only good thing that has come of this if anything is that Micah will not have to suffer one more day of torture at the hands of those two.

Welcome to the J4C Community mlayne!
Please, as you are a local, help keep an eye on this case for us and let us know if there's any support we can lend to make certain justice is meted out properly.

A Mother Cries Out for Justice on Her Son's Death

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It's been just over three months since her 2-year-old son, Micah Castillo, was killed. The medical examiner ruled it was a result of trauma to his abdomen. Investigators say Micah's step-mother, Snow Jimenez, called 9-1-1 and said that he'd fallen and wouldn't get up.
That same day Micah's father, Ray Gifford III, was arrested on unrelated family assault charges. The Jones County District Attorneys' office says Gifford's attorney has waived his arraignment. Gifford faces two counts of Injury to a Child.
"It's hard...what they don't understand is how do I explain to my little girl that her brother's not coming back? They don't understand everything that she's done to this whole family. It's not just me and it wasn't just Micah it was our whole family," said Sanchez.
Today in court Jimenez was asked by Jones County Judge, Brooks Hagler, if she understood the charges against her, regarding the death of 2-year-old Micah. Previously, the Grand Jury ruled Jimenez had shoved Micah into the armrest of a couch, fatally wounding the toddler.
Jimenez faces two separate counts for murder and one charge of injury to a child. Today, she plead "not guilty" to all three charges. The state asked for a trail by jury, which was granted and has been set for May of this year.
"I just keep hoping and I keep praying that one day, my New Years resolution this year is for forgiveness and I keep praying one day I will forgive her for what she did but until then she needs to ask God for forgiveness and face up for what she did," added Sanchez.

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=328886

UPDATE: Jimenez Sentenced for Murdering Toddler

Friday Afternoon Update:
Just one day after being found guilty of murdering her boyfriend's 2-year-old son, Snow Jimenez was sentenced to 99 years in prison.


Thursday Afternoon Update:
A jury has convicted Snow Jimenez in the death of her live-in boyfriend's 2-year-old son.

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=369257