Balch Springs police give update on death of malnourished 19-year-old
Aunt remembers 19-year-old malnourished girl found dead
The aunt of a 19-year-old Balch Springs girl found dead and malnourished says she loved to play outside and that she's remembering her happy and with a smile.
BALCH SPRINGS - Balch Springs police released more information about the investigation into the death of a 19-year-old autistic girl who was found on Valentine's Day.
The girl's mother, Crystal Canales, was arrested in connection with her death.
Delilah Villegas found dead
Mom arrested for malnourished daughter's death
When a call for help finally came in, it was too late. Paramedics found 19-year-old Delilah Villegas dead. Police noticed an outline of her body on the concrete floor, indicating she had been in the same fetal position for a long period of time.
What we know:
Balch Springs police said they got a 911 call on Feb. 14 from the mother of 19-year-old Delilah Villegas. Crystal Canales reported that her daughter was having trouble breathing and needed CPR.
But when the first responders got to the home on Horseshoe Trail, they found Delilah already dead. They estimated she had been dead for between six and 24 hours based on the condition of her body.
Police said the first responders also noticed a strong foul odor coming from Delilah’s bedroom and an outline of her body on the concrete floor, indicating she’d been in the same fetal position for a prolonged period of time.
They said she appeared severely malnourished and had multiple bruises and contusions on her body.
Police say they originally thought the girl was much younger because of her condition.
"Originally, when the officers arrived, they thought she was probably 13 and didn't realize she was 19 years old," said Pedro Gonzalez with Balch Springs Police.
What we don't know:
The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine Villegas' exact cause of death.
A gut feeling
Delilah's aunt, Yajaira Pardo, was left with one question: "How?"
Pardo said it's the question that keep her up at night after learning about the death of her niece.
"It's heartbreaking," she said.
Pardo said she remembered Delilah loved to play outside and organize her stuffed animals and that's how she wants to remember her, happy with a smile on her face.
"To know that she's in the hands of God and with my brother, in his arms, that's what gives me comfort," Pardo said.
Crystal Canales arrested
What we know:
Family members told detectives Delilah had severe autism, was non-verbal, and wore a diaper. But they said she had no major health conditions.
Police said Canales insisted her daughter had been breathing before the first responders arrived and that she had eaten a handful of Goldfish crackers earlier in the day.
Detectives also questioned her about why Delilah appeared severely malnourished and had bedsores, multiple wounds, and exposed bones on her right thigh, shoulder, hip, buttocks, hand, and ankle.
Canales acknowledged the bed sores and claimed she was treating them with Neosporin.
She claimed she did not seek medical care for Delilah because she would often become violent.
Pardo never knew of her niece to be violent, though she said the last time she saw her was in 2019, when Delilah's father died.
"My mom and my sister did see her in 2021, and it was at her older sister’s graduation, and she was perfectly fine, healthy," Pardo said. "Didn’t seem like anything was wrong."
Pardo said she would get updates from Delilah's older sister, who had moved to Fort Worth. She said she blames herself for not trusting her gut.
"I do say that I have a blame in all this. And we were at right now. And why, because I had a gut feeling that something was wrong," Pardo said.
Records indicated Delilah’s last hospital visit was in 2021, and there were no medical calls to her house after May 2021. Balch Springs police say during the 2021 welfare call there were no signs of anything wrong.
The detectives concluded that a reasonable person would have sought medical care for Delilah’s severe wounds.
Canales, 41, was arrested on Friday for serious bodily injury to a disabled person under her care, which is a second-degree felony.
She was taken to the Balch Springs jail and will be transferred to the Dallas County jail.
Police say they interviewed teachers, students, neighbors and family members before making the arrest.
"Everyone was saying that she was a great mother, always there, never left the house. Was there literally 24 hours caring for her child," said Gonzalez.
Balch Springs Police give update on 19-year-old's death
Balch Springs police shared more information about the investigation into a 19-year-old autistic girl who was found dead on Valentine's Day. The girl's mother, Crystal Canales, was arrested in connection with her death.
What we don't know:
Balch Springs police say they are still investigating if others should face charges in the girl's death.
Delilah's grandmother and great uncle also lived in the home.
"Our victim was very aggressive towards family members, and sometimes they would be discouraged to interact with our victim," said Gonzalez.
Pardo wishes someone would have reached out to police or her for help.
"If you knew something was wrong or you haven’t seen Delilah in months…," Pardo said. "Everything from the beginning to the end is wrong."
And while Pardo said there's no justice for Delilah's death, she's going to do everything she can to make sure people remember her life
"That everyone knows that Delilah was here, she was alive, she was present," Pardo said.
What they're saying:
"As a father, our job is to protect our children. When a nonverbal daughter lays helplessly, you sort of wonder what was going through her mind, where she couldn't communicate or even share some of her pain or suffering to others so that she can get additional help," said Gonzalez. "If someone would have noticed or would have been concerned about the child, they could have easily called 911. We would have responded and personally checked on the victim, and maybe we wouldn't be here if that would have happened."
The Source: Information in this article comes from Balch Springs Police and FOX 4 reporting.