Police: Stepmom intentionally set 5-year-old's face on fire

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - A North Texas woman was arrested after police said she intentionally set her stepdaughter’s face on fire.

Grand Prairie police arrested 20-year-old Dalia Jimenez and charged her with felony injury to a child.

“This is probably the most extensive injury that I’ve ever investigated,” said Grand Prairie Police Det. Greg Parker.

Detectives would not reveal where it happened, only saying the investigation started on May 13 when someone at an apartment complex who was worried about the girl called them.

On Monday, officers responded to a report about her 5-year-old stepdaughter needing medical treatment for facial burns.

Originally, Jimenez told the officers the little girl was injured when she got too close to a candle two days earlier. But, police said there were inconsistences in her story.

There were burns running down both sides of the girl's cheeks, to below the jawline, and some small burns on her shoulders.

Parker said when investigators arrived, the child was in a great mood, running around and playing with her younger sibling. But, she did complain that her face was hurting.

“We were made aware on scene that there was prior CPS history. That the girl had suffered a broken arm in 2018, so we decided to move forward with a forensic interview,” Det. Parker said.

Jimenez ultimately confessed that she intentionally poured rubbing alcohol on her stepdaughter’s face and used a lighter to set it on fire. She admitted she was trying to punish her for yelling, police said.

During that interview, the child told investigators that her stepmother hit her repeatedly with a belt and burned her.

Child Protective Services removed the injured girl and her younger sibling from the home. Both are now safe with other family members.

Police said the children’s father was not home at the time. He is not expected to face any charges.

Jimenez was released from the Grand Prairie jail after paying bond.