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Angelica Linda Arechiga (Grand Rapids Police Department/WOOD).
A mother in Michigan was arrested last week for the death of her 18-month-old daughter, who suffocated between the driver’s seat and front door of the woman’s pickup truck after being left with three other kids while her mom grabbed lunch for her husband, police say.
Angelica Linda Arechiga, 27, of Grand Rapids, is charged with “child abuse: leaving a child in a vehicle resulting in death” for the October 2024 incident, according to local NBC affiliate WOOD. It’s reportedly the first time that the charge has been handed down to anyone in Kent County. The station spoke to Arechiga after her arrest last week about what allegedly happened that day to her daughter, Juliet Magdelena.
“I just want people to know that this was an accident,” Arechiga said while crying, per WOOD. “Yes, I could have done things differently that day. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. If I could go back in time to change things, I would, but I can’t.”
According to WOOD, Arechiga was arraigned last week in Grand Rapids District Court and released on a personal recognizance bond. She is accused of leaving her daughter unsupervised and “unrestrained” for 15 minutes in her pickup on Oct. 9 while it was parked in a grocery store parking lot near South Division Avenue and Hall Street.
“Angelica left Juliet, an 18-month-old child unattended in a vehicle for a period of 15 minutes unrestrained and with no adult supervision which posed an unreasonable risk of harm or injury to Juliet, causing her death,” her probable cause affidavit says, according to WOOD. Magdelena’s death was listed as “asphyxia by wedging” and the manner of death was reported as an accident, the station reports.
“Horrible things can happen when children are left alone in a vehicle for even a short period of time,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told WOOD.
Witnesses who were inside the grocery store where Arechiga left her car parked said she came rushing inside in a panic after coming out to find her daughter unconscious.
“She just comes in screaming,” a worker recalled, asking WOOD to remain anonymous. “We were confused … (the toddler) had Cheetos dust on her hands so we were like, ‘Maybe she was (choking) on her chips?’ So my cousin started patting her on the back but when her mom was able to talk, she was like ‘No, no …. she got her head stuck … and she’s not breathing.””
First responders reported that the toddler’s pulse was “faint” when they first arrived on scene, according to WOOD. “It was the saddest thing,” the worker said. “When (the mom) said that (Juliet) was playing with her sister (in the truck), I thought the sisters were at least 6, 8 or 10 years old. But when they came out walking, they were like 4, 5, and there was a baby.”
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An online obituary for Magdelena describes the child as a “loving and sweet baby” who was a “daddy’s girl.” Her mom is due to appear in court later this month.
“She was very smart and was already talking and practicing saying ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ in Spanish,” the obituary says. “Julieta seemed to enjoy watching the world and taking in everything around her, silently watching and learning from everyone in her life.”