Affidavit: Haltom City woman felt she could care for grandson’s burns

A Haltom City grandmother told police that she didn’t seek help for her 2-year-old grandson’s burns because she believed that as a certified nursing assistant, she could care for his injuries, court documents state.

Six days passed before Patricia Annette Flores called 911 on March 30, reporting that her grandson, Lyfe “Gabe” Flores, appeared to be going into shock and was having trouble breathing.

Lyfe died April 4 at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

After police made a public appeal to locate Flores, she surrendered to deputies in Frio County on Thursday on a warrant accusing her of injury to a child.

She remained jailed Friday with bail set at $75,000.

Haltom City Detective Matthew Spillane, a police spokesman, said Tarrant County sheriff’s deputies are expected to transfer Flores to the Tarrant County Jail sometime next week.

Emergency crews were summoned to Flores’ home in the 2100 block of Haltom Road late on March 30.

Flores told dispatchers in the 911 call that her grandson appeared to be going into shock and was having trouble breathing. She also told dispatchers that her grandson was “heaving” with his eyes “rolling back.”

According to an arrest warrant affidavit released by the department Friday, paramedics arrived at the home to find Lyfe breathing but unresponsive with severe burns on his feet, hands, buttocks and genitals.

Questioned by a Haltom City officer that night, Flores said she had been preparing to do some cleaning in the home six days earlier and had run hot water in the bathtub for mopping purposes.

She told the officer that she left the bathroom for a few minutes, returning to find her grandson lying on the bathroom floor.

“She had checked on Lyfe earlier and thought he was asleep,” the affidavit states. “Lyfe had pooped and peed on the bathroom floor and as Flores began to clean this up, she noticed that Lyfe had burns to his legs and hands.”

Flores told investigators that her grandson never yelled out or screamed in pain.

“Flores felt that since she was a trained certified nursing assistant, she could care for Lyfe’s injuries herself and never reported this incident, or sought medical care for Lyfe from a doctor,” the affidavit states.

Flores was interviewed again at Cook Children’s Medical Center by Cpl. T. Miller. A portion of what she told police, however, was redacted from the affidavit, because its release might hinder the ongoing investigation.

Police have said they believe that the lack of medical treatment for the severe burns led to an infection, which may have contributed to Lyfe’s death.

In the affidavit, Miller wrote that he believed that Flores caused the burns to her grandson and then did not get him required treatment, eventually leading to the boy’s death.

Lyfe’s 5-month-old sister was placed in foster care after her brother died. A CPS spokeswoman has said the agency had contact with Lyfe and his family before his death but could provide no details.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Affidavit: Haltom City woman felt she could care for grandson’s burns."