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Arrest and search warrants are painting a clearer picture of what happened in the days leading up to a 2-year-old boy's death while in the care of his grandmother.
Little Lyfe ‘Gabe’ Flores suffered, with burns all over his body, for nearly a week before he died. His grandmother, Patricia Flores, allegedly told police she didn't immediately call 911 because she thought she could heal him herself.
"He was burned from the waist down second and third degree burns,” said Mike Hamilton, Lyfe’s maternal grandfather. “His hands were burnt -- submersion burns"
Lyfe’s maternal family was horrified, not just at the injuries, but that detectives say that Flores waited nearly a week before she got the boy help.
"I don't really want to know what all he went through,” said Stephanie Moshier, Lyfe’s maternal grandmother. “I don't think I could bear that. I just know that he suffered a lot."
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, on March 24, Flores "ran some hot water in the tub for mopping purposes… left the bathroom for a few minutes… found Lyfe lying on the bathroom floor.. she noticed that Lyfe had burns to his legs and hands.” But detectives say it wasn't until the March 30, six days later, that Flores called 911.
The affidavit states, "The child was breathing but unresponsive to treatment." The explanation from Flores, according to the affidavit: she felt that since she was a trained certified nurse's assistant, she could care for Lyfe's injuries herself. She also told police "Lyfe never yelled out or screamed with pain.” Haltom City police have said the burns were so severe, they caused the boy's death.
A search warrant affidavit filed with the court only lists one thing investigators were looking for at the Haltom City home where it happened: "The hot water emitting from the Rheem brand hot water heater." During a visit to the home shortly after the boy was taken to the hospital police checked the water heater. The affidavit stated, “the water heater was set on position 'b' which is the second hottest position from 'very hot.'"
The boy's family told FOX 4 they didn’t believe the grandmother’s story.
"It's a grandchild. It's a 2-year-old kid,” said Hamilton. “She took something we can never get back, and I hope she gets everything she's got coming to her.”
Flores is currently being held in Frio County. Officials hope to transfer her back to North Texas sometime next week.