Jonathan Gaona and Stephanie Hernandez (Greene County Sheriff’s Office).
A Missouri man says he bathed his ex-wife‘s 2-month-old daughter with hot water then tried to “cure” her fatal burns with baby powder “like a turtle,” according to police. The mother allegedly refused to take the infant to the hospital and she died as a result, with the woman then reportedly starting a GoFundMe for her afterwards.
Jonathan Gaona, 33, and Stephanie Hernandez, 29, are both charged with second-degree murder in Greene County for the death of Hernandez’s daughter, Jaylynn, who died on Feb. 11 from complications of thermal burns, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The medical examiner who performed Jaylynn’s autopsy listed a number of contributing factors to her death, which included “blunt force head injuries, acute pneumonia and methamphetamine toxicity,” per the affidavit.
The former couple reported Jaylynn’s death on Feb. 11, with them both being interviewed and questioned about what happened.
Hernandez started a GoFundMe after allegedly killing her daughter, which describes the woman as a “mother with 6 children who unfortunately had went through a tragedy of loosing [sic] my 2 1/2 month old baby,” according to local CBS affiliate KOLR. The online fundraiser has only managed to raise $202 of its $5,000 goal as of Sunday.
Police say that during interviews with detectives, Gaona admitted to burning Jaylynn with hot bath water, along with physically abusing her, because he was “stressed” and “overwhelmed” with having to take care of the infant, who was not his biological child, according to the affidavit.
“Jonathan explained how he and Stephanie were divorced but living in the same residence,” the affidavit notes. “During the investigation, it was determined Stephanie’s paramour was actually [Jaylynn’s] biological father while Jonathan had taken on the role of raising [Jaylynn].”
Gaona confessed to putting Jaylynn in the bathtub, “turning on the hot water, getting distracted and overwhelmed by his other children, walking off, and then hearing [Jaylynn] scream,” according to the affidavit. He claimed the incident was “an accident because he got distracted,” then said he put Jaylynn back in her crib afterward, “not thinking much of it,” the affidavit says.
Gaona allegedly told police that after the bathtub burning incident, he found Jaylynn sitting in urine and when he went to dry her “her skin started peeling off” and hurting her. He admitted to not changing her for “half a day,” per the affidavit.
Asked why he didn’t go to the hospital, Gaona allegedly said he thought he could heal Jaylynn with cream and powder. “He thought the powder might turn hard and cure it ‘like a turtle,'” the affidavit says, noting how Gaona conducted internet searches using the phrase, “What to do for baby burns.”
Gaona went on to admit that he physically abused Jaylynn, including an incident where he “grabbed her by the ears, shaking her head back and forth,” because he was “stressed” out, according to the affidavit.
“I’m a monster,” Gaona allegedly told police. “Like really.”
Hernandez is accused of brushing off Jaylynn’s injuries and refusing to take her to the hospital for treatment of her burns, which ultimately led to her death. A woman that was staying with Hernandez and Gaona told police she tried taking the child to a hospital but Gaona and Hernandez repeatedly told her not to.
“Stephanie told detectives how she did not take [Jaylynn] to the hospital because she did not want to lose her children,” the affidavit alleges. “[Hernandez] then talked about how, ultimately, her actions resulted in her losing [Jaylynn].”
Gaona allegedly “begged” the female roommate not to call 911 and “told her no” when she asked to notify police, per the affidavit. The roommate did it anyway and that’s how authorities discovered what had happened.
Jaylynn was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. A police detective who went to the hospital reported the condition she was in before dying in the affidavit.
“A majority of her front torso was red in color and appeared to be missing the top layer of skin,” the detective said. “I also observed redness, consistent with a missing layer of skin, covering the front portion of left front thigh and a portion of the left side of her face. When she was rolled over, I observed the same redness, consistent with a missing layer of skin, covering the entire upper portion of her back.”
In addition to murder, Gaona is charged with abuse or neglect of a child — serious emotional or physical injury, no sexual contact, and child endangerment. Hernandez is also facing abuse or neglect of a child and child endangerment.
They were both ordered to be held without bond Friday. Their next court dates are not available online yet.
Hernandez’s GoFundMe description says she lives “paycheck to paycheck” and needs help paying for Jaylynn’s funeral expenses, KOLR reports.
“I would never ever think I’d be going through this hurt of having to bury one of my baby’s [sic],” Hernandez allegedly says. “All I want is to give her a decent not goodbye but see you later baby. As hard as it is too [sic] let you go my love I know your in a better place with God and you will no longer suffer in this what we tend to call life.”
