NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Cynthia Hernandez, a North Miami Beach mother, was released from jail Saturday night after posting an $11,500 bond as her 6-year-old autistic son continues to recover from life-threatening injuries.
Hernandez covered her face as she left jail, declining to speak with Local 10 News.
Authorities said her son, Mason, was brutally beaten last week by Hernandez’s boyfriend, 34-year-old Daniel Eduardo Romero.
They said Mason suffered bleeding and swelling in his brain, liver, kidney, as well as spleen lacerations and a broken shoulder. He was unconscious for roughly 30 minutes and was placed in a medically induced coma, but his family said he opened his eyes yesterday, bringing hope to the community.
Police allege Romero, who is not Mason’s biological father, instructed Hernandez, 33, to tell authorities that Mason fell off a bike. Mason went into cardiac arrest and had no pulse when first responders arrived.
Jail records show Hernandez faces charges of child neglect, failing to report child abuse, and providing false information to law enforcement.
Her attorney, Nicolas Torres, disputed the main charges, saying Hernandez acted appropriately once she learned her ex-partner had harmed the child.
“Whenever Ms. Hernandez became aware that it had been her ex-partner who had committed the abuse on the kid, they immediately took the child to the medical center,“ said Torres. ”I believe that would fulfill any requirement of reporting she would have had as it relates to the abuse the child sustained at the hands of the partner."
A Miami-Dade bond court judge on Saturday ultimately found enough probable cause to move the case forward. More of Hernandez’s attorneys say she is also a victim of Romero and remain confident she will be vindicated.
Records show Romero was arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse, child neglect causing great bodily harm and providing false information to police during an investigation.
Elizabeth Garcia, Mason’s maternal grandmother, who has temporary custody of Hernandez’s other children, shared videos of him opening his eyes and a GoFundMe page has been created to help the family with mounting medical expenses.
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