A Texas mother has been charged after her 19-year-old daughter, who is nonspeaking and has severe autism, was found dead in a shocking condition authorities described as “mummified.”
On Friday, Feb. 14, at around 2:30 p.m. local time, Crystal Canales called 911 to report that her daughter Delilah Villegas was unresponsive and not breathing, according to a Balch Springs Police Department (BSPD) press release obtained.
Pedro Gonzalez, a public information officer with the department, said in a press conference that first responders arrived at Canales’ Balch Springs home before police and opted to not administer CPR because of the “position” and “condition” Villegas was found in.
When officers later reported to the scene, they were met with a “strong foul odor” coming from Villegas’ bedroom, where the teen was then found lying in a “near-fetal position” on the floor, authorities said.
Villegas appeared “severely malnourished” and “had multiple bruises and contusions on her body,” to the point that officers believed her to be much younger, police said. Gonzalez told reporters that “originally, when the officers arrived, they thought she was probably 13 and didn’t realize she was 19 years old.”
“It was, as described, skin-to-bone,” he said of Villegas’ condition, explaining that she also had “large lacerations exposing decaying limbs, and even some of the bones from her shoulder, and on her arm, and her leg.”
Villegas looked like she was in a “mummified” state, Gonzalez continued, adding that her shoulder bone was “protruding out.”
“It was just unrecognizable for a 19-year-old to be in that position,” he said.
According to the BSPD, Villegas also had bedsores on her body, and an outline on the floor “indicated she had been in the same position for a prolonged period.”
When asked about his emotional response to her condition, Gonzalez told reporters that “as a father, our job is to protect our children and 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 she could get additional help.”
Though Canales insisted that Villegas “had been breathing before first responders arrived and claimed she had eaten a handful of Goldfish crackers earlier that day,” police believe she was dead for a minimum of four hours, because rigor mortis and liver mortis — changes that occur after death — had already set in.
Medical examiners later estimated that Villegas was dead for even longer: six to 24 hours before authorities arrived at the home.
After over a week of investigating, Balch Springs police concluded that “a reasonable person would have sought medical treatment” for Villegas’ “severe” wounds, and they determined that Canales’ “failure to obtain medical care likely constituted reckless conduct, leading to serious bodily injury to a disabled person under her care.”
Police executed an arrest warrant for Canales on Friday, Feb. 21, and she was arrested and charged with one count of serious bodily injury to a disabled person, a second-degree felony.
Investigators interviewed Villegas’ grandmother and great-uncle, both of whom lived with her and Canales, though Gonzalez declined to comment on whether they will also face charges amid the ongoing investigation into the young woman’s death.
Gonzalez did say, however, that Villegas’ family members said she could be “very aggressive toward” them and they would “sometimes be discouraged to interact with” her. There were also “times where she became extremely violent, punching, hitting, kicking family members,” he told reporters, citing a previous altercation on a school bus.
A stock image of a police car.
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As for Canales, character witnesses described her as a “great mother” who “never left the house,” Gonzalez said. Teachers also said only positive things about the mom and daughter, describing Canales as very “involved” and Villegas as a “good student,” he added.
Gonzalez also stated that police had previously responded to the family’s home one other time, back in May 2021, for a welfare check. At the time, everyone in the residence was “fine” and “healthy,” he said.
At the time of Villegas’ death, the home was in a good state, with food available and no signs of starvation, he told reporters. And though Villegas wore a diaper, she had no major health conditions and she was able to cook things like eggs for herself, her family told police.
Authorities also said that, when questioned about her daughter’s injuries, Canales “acknowledged” her bed sores and claimed she was treating them with Neosporin.” An open tube of Neosporin was found in her bedroom, as well as a pile of rags, according to an arrest affidavit viewed.
Canales also echoed the other family members’ comments, telling investigators that “she did not seek medical care because Delilah would become violent,” police said.
As of Feb. 21, Canales was in Balch Springs Jail awaiting transfer to the Dallas County Jail. It is not clear if she has legal representation to comment on her behalf.
