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Jonathan Gaona and Stephanie Hernandez (Greene County Sheriff’s Office).
In a tragic incident, a Missouri man confessed to bathing his ex-wife’s 2-month-old daughter in hot water, subsequently attempting to treat her severe burns with baby powder, likening the action to treating a “turtle,” according to police reports. The infant’s mother reportedly declined to seek medical treatment for her daughter, who sadly succumbed to her injuries. Following the infant’s death, the mother allegedly launched a GoFundMe campaign.
Jonathan Gaona, 33, and Stephanie Hernandez, 29, now face second-degree murder charges in Greene County due to the death of Hernandez’s daughter, Jaylynn. The young girl passed away on February 11 due to complications from thermal burns, as outlined in a probable cause affidavit.
The autopsy of Jaylynn revealed several factors contributing to her death, including “blunt force head injuries, acute pneumonia, and methamphetamine toxicity,” according to the affidavit.
The pair reported Jaylynn’s death on February 11, after which they were both interrogated to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the event.
Following the incident, Hernandez created a GoFundMe page, describing herself as a “mother with 6 children who unfortunately had went through a tragedy of loosing [sic] my 2 1/2 month old baby,” according to local CBS affiliate KOLR. The fundraising initiative has only garnered $202 of its $5,000 target as of Sunday.
Police say that during interviews with detectives, Gaona admitted to burning Jaylynn with hot bath water, along with physically abusing her, because he was “stressed” and “overwhelmed” with having to take care of the infant, who was not his biological child, according to the affidavit.
“Jonathan explained how he and Stephanie were divorced but living in the same residence,” the affidavit notes. “During the investigation, it was determined Stephanie’s paramour was actually [Jaylynn’s] biological father while Jonathan had taken on the role of raising [Jaylynn].”
Gaona confessed to putting Jaylynn in the bathtub, “turning on the hot water, getting distracted and overwhelmed by his other children, walking off, and then hearing [Jaylynn] scream,” according to the affidavit. He claimed the incident was “an accident because he got distracted,” then said he put Jaylynn back in her crib afterward, “not thinking much of it,” the affidavit says.
Gaona allegedly told police that after the bathtub burning incident, he found Jaylynn sitting in urine and when he went to dry her “her skin started peeling off” and hurting her. He admitted to not changing her for “half a day,” per the affidavit.
Asked why he didn’t go to the hospital, Gaona allegedly said he thought he could heal Jaylynn with cream and powder. “He thought the powder might turn hard and cure it ‘like a turtle,’” the affidavit says, noting how Gaona conducted internet searches using the phrase, “What to do for baby burns.”
Gaona went on to admit that he physically abused Jaylynn, including an incident where he “grabbed her by the ears, shaking her head back and forth,” because he was “stressed” out, according to the affidavit.
“I’m a monster,” Gaona allegedly told police. “Like really.”
Hernandez is accused of brushing off Jaylynn’s injuries and refusing to take her to the hospital for treatment of her burns, which ultimately led to her death. A woman that was staying with Hernandez and Gaona told police she tried taking the child to a hospital but Gaona and Hernandez repeatedly told her not to.
“Stephanie told detectives how she did not take [Jaylynn] to the hospital because she did not want to lose her children,” the affidavit alleges. “[Hernandez] then talked about how, ultimately, her actions resulted in her losing [Jaylynn].”
Gaona allegedly “begged” the female roommate not to call 911 and “told her no” when she asked to notify police, per the affidavit. The roommate did it anyway and that’s how authorities discovered what had happened.
Jaylynn was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. A police detective who went to the hospital reported the condition she was in before dying in the affidavit.
“A majority of her front torso was red in color and appeared to be missing the top layer of skin,” the detective said. “I also observed redness, consistent with a missing layer of skin, covering the front portion of left front thigh and a portion of the left side of her face. When she was rolled over, I observed the same redness, consistent with a missing layer of skin, covering the entire upper portion of her back.”
In addition to murder, Gaona is charged with abuse or neglect of a child — serious emotional or physical injury, no sexual contact, and child endangerment. Hernandez is also facing abuse or neglect of a child and child endangerment.
They were both ordered to be held without bond Friday. Their next court dates are not available online yet.
Hernandez’s GoFundMe description says she lives “paycheck to paycheck” and needs help paying for Jaylynn’s funeral expenses, KOLR reports.
“I would never ever think I’d be going through this hurt of having to bury one of my baby’s [sic],” Hernandez allegedly says. “All I want is to give her a decent not goodbye but see you later baby. As hard as it is too [sic] let you go my love I know your in a better place with God and you will no longer suffer in this what we tend to call life.”