FORT WORTH, Texas — Last August, Angelica Soto left her downtown Fort Worth apartment for work. She also left her 48-day-old daughter, Aracely Estella Gonzalez, with her father Heron Gonzalez.
That was the last time Soto saw her daughter, who died that day a year ago.
During the investigation into their daughter's death, Heron Gonzalez told police that after playing video games he found the baby girl unresponsive and performed CPR. But, investigators say phone records show he called two people, including Soto, and then called 911 about 16 minutes later.
"He ended up calling someone else before calling me. That was like a big shock to me. I was like, how can he call another person and not call me?" said Soto.
Paramedics rushed their daughter to Cook Children's Medical, where she died in the intensive care unit. Aracely had injuries all over her body. The autopsy revealed the newborn suffered severe blunt force trauma.
"It was heartbreaking," Soto said. "You just want to fall down to your knees. You can't really believe what you are hearing."
Gonzalez told police he did nothing to harm their daughter.
But in court documents, prosecutors say Gonzalez caused his daughter's death by shaking, squeezing and striking the newborn against an object or surface. Detectives also confiscated the game console during a search warrant at their downtown Fort Worth apartment, both the parents cellphones and other evidence that led to them to believe the father was responsible for the child's injuries that caused her death.
In the documents, detectives even noted photos taken prior to Aug. 10 -- showing Aracely had many of the injuries uncovered during the autopsy by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, which ruled the child's death a homicide.
Soto vowed to never forget her daughter and gave this warning about trust:
"I trusted the wrong person, but at the end of the day that's my fault," Soto said. "I am going to make sure her spirit is actually alive, her story will be told, and her memory will not be forgotten."
Gonzalez is in custody facing a capital murder charge. His bond is set at $400,000. As Soto continues to care for her 3-year-old son, she hopes to get access to counseling to help her deal with the loss of her only daughter.