Estrella County Jail

Mother of Baby Police Say Was Killed By Stepmom Speaks Out

EL PASO, Texas -- Sixteen-year-old Marissa Castillo said she was 14 when she became pregnant with Joanna. She said she gave the father temporary custody but never thought it would lead to her child's death.

“She would play, talk. She could sing count. She knew English and Spanish," said Castillo.

That is how Castillo would like to remember her 22-month-old daughter, but now she just clings to her clothes and pictures. Just weeks before her second birthday, Castillo said she got a call from Joanna's father.

"Right away he said it was something about her brain, that she was going to be OK," said Castillo.

Doctors at University Medical Center said differently.

"I asked him if Joanna was going to be OK and he told me, ‘no’. I asked him if she was going to make it and he said, ‘no’ that Joanna wasn't going to make it," she said.

As KFOX-14 reported in July, less than a week later. Joanna was taken off of life support. Court documents show, her stepmother, Maria Estrella Hernandez, was arrested and charged with injury to a child and eventually murder.

"She was supposed to be safe there," said Castillo.

Court documents show her father wasn't home at the time of the alleged abuse, but Marissa said even if he wasn't he had to have known what was happening.

"He dressed her. He bathed her. You're not going to not see those bruises," she said.

She said even his cousin took pictures of the bruising, claims court documents back up.

"That girl that took the pictures she didn't say anything until Joanna was already on her death bed," said Castillo.

It is against the law to not report child abuse. KFOX 14 called the district attorney's office to find out if the cousin or father will be charged. A spokeswoman said they are still reviewing the case.

"I want justice for Joanna. They need to lock those people up they're so cruel and evil and no one's doing nothing," said Castillo.

County's Jails Still Falling Short On Health Care, Audit Finds

Despite spending millions of dollars perplexing to redress long-recognized problems, Maricopa County still falls partial of its constitutionally mandated responsibility to give competent illness caring to prison inmates, a court-appointed consultant says.

Her report, filed progressing this month as segment of a long-standing legal case over prison conditions, is a reversal is to county Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Office. For years, they have affianced to upgrade a taxpayer-funded health-care network used in county jails, where about 7,500 inmates are housed.

For years, the county has paid millions of dollars in legal fees, settlements and jury verdicts to inmates and their family groups for demise and damage claims.

With a bill of $55 million, the county’s Correctional Health Services oversees the smoothness of caring to inmates housed in the county’s 5 jails and Tent City.

Jail-reform advocates initial sued the county in 1977 to force changes, claiming inmates received inferior care. The justice in 1981 released discipline is to county to follow, and the justice has revisited the matter a few times.

The 33-page review by Kathryn Burns resolved that nonetheless the CHS has done significant advances in a number of areas, major problems persist, quite inside of the Mental Health Unit by that thousands of inmates pierce annually.

An estimated one-third of inmates are on psychotropic medications, that treat mental disorders, mentioned Dawn Noggle, CHS executive of mental health.

The county received certain outlines for its investments and improvements in staff training, inmate-health assessments and follow-up appointments.

It has increased the number of mental-health employees at Fourth Avenue Jail. Portions of illness screenings during bookings are right away electronic to improved succeed studious information. More organisation treatment is offered.

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