12-year-old cheerleader dies days after parents treated injuries with smoothies and vitamins, police say

12-year-old cheerleader dies days after parents treated injuries with smoothies and vitamins, police say

The parents of a 12-year-old Texas cheerleader were arrested this week after she died from “life-threatening injuries” they tried to treat with smoothies and vitamins, authorities said.

Miranda Sipps’ mother, Denise Balbaneda, 36, and her stepfather, Gerald Gonzales, 40, of Christine, Texas, kept the girl at their home even though she was only able to “blink her eyes and move her hands a little” for four days after sustaining the injuries on Aug. 8, Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward said during a news conference Wednesday.

The girl’s parents did not call 911 or seek medical help for the child. Instead, they left the girl lying on the floor while they tried to nurse her back to health, police said. Officials added the parents may have tried to give the girl oxygen.

“Basically, they thought they could nurse her back to health, and we don’t think they wanted the attention that would come from having the little girl hurt,” the sheriff said. “It’s oddly ironic, but that was their mindset.”

Denise Balbaneda, 36 (left) and Gerald Gonzales, 40 (right), were arrested in connection with the death of 12-year-old Miranda Sipps.
Denise Balbaneda, 36 (left) and Gerald Gonzales, 40 (right), were arrested in connection with the death of 12-year-old Miranda Sipps. (Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office)

Soward did not elaborate on what he thought might have killed the little girl. The local medical examiner will conduct an autopsy as part of the ongoing investigation. The prepubescent child had no broken bones, the sheriff noted.

“We will get to the bottom of the matter before we look at how the injuries occurred,” he said.

On August 12, someone at the family’s home called 911, but the mother later left the house with her child and was eventually ordered to stop her car so emergency services could take her to the hospital.

“Our information is that they did not want police in the house, so she left with the child,” the sheriff said.

Sipps died Monday evening when emergency room staff were unable to save her.

The mother and stepfather are being held on $200,000 bail. Both have been charged with assault on a child by omission. The parents could face additional charges.

Three days after her injuries, the child was scheduled to start school. She attended Jourdanton Jr High School in Jourdanton, Texas, where she was a member of the cheerleading team.

Law enforcement officials said they had responded to the family’s address in the past, but did not provide details about the nature of those calls.

Balbaneda has another child who lives with her biological father. She has shown little to no remorse, the sheriff said, while the girl’s stepfather, Gonzales, has shown some remorse over the child’s death.

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