Image Credit: MNPD & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Nashville police have charged an illegal alien with felony first-degree murder in the case of the death of a 6-month-old who died in her care last year.
35-year-old Lourdes Hernandez Santamaria is also facing charges of aggravated child neglect and operating a childcare facility without a license.
According to reports, police and paramedics were called to an apartment on Welshwood Drive in Nashville on February 8, 2024, after a mother arrived at an in-home daycare to find her infant daughter unresponsive. The mother called 911 and reported that she had found other children in the apartment crying as Hernandez, who was babysitting, held her daughter and poured water on her head.
When questioned using an interpreter, Hernandez told authorities that she had put the child down to nap around 1:30 p.m., but the child never woke. She stated that she tried unsuccessfully to wake the infant for about fifteen minutes.
The infant was pronounced dead after being transported to Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
An autopsy later showed that the child had been given a lethal dose of Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine commonly found in medications such as Benadryl. Her body registered almost three times the recommended amount for an adult.
Authorities say that on the day of the incident, there were 10 children under the age of 3 in the apartment. Hernandez admitted to operating a babysitting service for several years, charging $25 per child. The Department of Human Services sought a court order to permanently shut down the unlicensed daycare.
Hernandez, who had moved to a residence on Zermatt Avenue, was later arrested at that location, where several children were also found at the time of her arrest.
She is currently jailed on a $150,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 2.
Inmate records now indicate that Hernandez is being held on an immigrant detainer. This means she will remain in custody until she is released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An immigrant detainer hold likely means Hernandez is in the country illegally.
Metro Nashville Police arrested another illegal alien earlier this month for Evading Arrest, Assault/Reckless Endangerment with a Vehicle, and Carrying a Weapon After Federal Restrictions.
Frank Eduardo-Jose Reyes-Borrayo is also being held on an ICE detainer.
