MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A 26-year-old woman is facing charges of second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse after investigators determined that her 9-month-old son died from lethal levels of cocaine and methamphetamine last year, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday.
Jail records show Natalia Munzo-Paulino, of Miami, was taken into custody Monday evening and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies and homicide detectives were notified on July 2, 2024, after the baby was brought to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Despite resuscitation attempts, authorities said the baby was pronounced dead at 10:39 p.m.
When investigators arrived at the family’s apartment along Southwest 147th Avenue and 88th Street, they reported finding the home in “disheveled” and “unkept” condition, with trash, spoiled food, clothing and used hygiene products strewn across the floor.
They also noted hazards within the home that they said were in the reach of the children who lived there.
At one point, deputies said they intervened after witnessing the victim’s older sibling drinking baby oil from a bottle without the mother reacting.
Munzo-Paulino gave investigators multiple conflicting explanations about how her son died, according to the report.
She initially claimed she fell asleep while holding him and woke to find him unresponsive, the report stated.
Deputies said she later claimed that the boy had fallen and hit his head, then told state child welfare investigators he had drowned in a bathtub, and told the boy’s father that he had choked.
The boy’s father, who works out of state, told detectives that Munzo-Paulino had previously admitted to using methamphetamine and cocaine and said he had once seen the drugs inside the home, according to the report.
An autopsy was performed two days later by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office.
The arrest report noted the presence of eggshells and feathers inside the baby’s stomach, and toxicology findings that showed fatal levels of cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.
The medical examiner determined that the drugs were ingested, not transferred through breastfeeding, the affidavit stated.
The medical examiner also ruled out suffocation or airway obstruction and, on May 1, 2025, determined the cause of death to be child neglect and the manner of death to be homicide.
Investigators concluded that Munzo-Paulino was the baby’s sole caregiver at the time and determined her statements were inconsistent with the physical and toxicology evidence.
After consulting with prosecutors, detectives secured a warrant for Munzo-Paulino’s arrest. In addition to the murder charge, records show she also had an active warrant in a separate misdemeanor battery case.
As of Tuesday afternoon, she remained at TGK, where her bond was listed as “to be set.”
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