Florida Mom Arrested After Lying for Boyfriend Who Allegedly Severely Beat Her Nonverbal Autistic Child

A Florida mom has turned herself in to police after allegedly lying to them about how her nonverbal autistic child suffered 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 harm, one count of failure to report child abuse or neglect and one count of providing 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 taken into custody on child abuse and child neglect charges.

The alleged incident began on January 9, when police responded to a call that a minor was in cardiac arrest. When authorities arrived at the scene, the boy, 6, had no detectable pulse and CPR was administered 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 not only had bruises on his face and back, swelling on his head and a fractured arm, but he also had significant internal injuries, including bleeding in his brain and lacerations to one of his kidneys, his spleen and his liver, according to a report from NBC Miami.

During the investigation, Romero, 34, told police that the bruises and scratches were the result of a fall from a bicycle while he’d been teaching the young boy how to ride. However, when police asked to see the bicycle, Romero was allegedly unable to show them. He then told officers that the injuries occurred while they were playing on a wagon — which the police report stated had a broken wheel and looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time.

He claimed he chose not to take the boy to the hospital because he didn’t realize the scope of the injuries at the time. The next day, the child lost consciousness and 911 was called.

When questioned about her son’s condition, Hernandez, 32, repeated Romero’s story about a supposed fall from a bicycle. She later confessed that her boyfriend had told her to tell the police that story, and that she feared he could be the one responsible for her son’s injuries. Hernandez additionally informed investigators that Romero often became frustrated with her son’s behaviors that were related to his autism diagnosis.

On the day of the incident, Romero allegedly told her that her son had hit his head on a television. She saw there was swelling at the back of his head, so she treated the injury with ice and gave him medication. She left the home for some time at that point, but when she got back, the 6-year-old allegedly had scratches on his face and a new bump on his forehead. Romero then told her that the boy had fallen while running in the house in socks.

Romero was arrested and is being held without bond. He was charged with aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect resulting in great bodily harm and providing false information to law enforcement.

Following Hernandez’s decision to turn herself in, her lawyer, Hugo Apellaniz, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the decision to charge his client, who he claimed was “nothing more than a victim” herself.

“People are not perfect, but this is a dire mistake,” he continued. “The police are aware that our client is also a victim at the hands of Daniel Romero as unfortunately her son was as well. The focus is on her son’s health and recovery, and we look forward to her being vindicated.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text 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.