Exclusive: Attorney For Great-Grandmother Of Noah Cuatro Calls For LAPD, DA To Reopen 2014 Case
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An attorney for the great-grandmother of 4-year-old who died earlier this month is calling on Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office to reopen a 2014 investigation into allegations of abuse by the child's mother.
Noah Cuatro died July 6 under suspicious circumstances. His parents told police the child drowned at a swimming pool, but police said they found trauma that was inconsistent with a drowning. Now the attorney representing Eva Hernandez, Noah's great-great grandmother, wants to know why more wasn't done to protect Noah.
"At age 2, Noah Cuatro was reported by a doctor to be starving and malnourished. He couldn't even walk," Brian Claypool, the attorney, said. "Why haven't there been charges filed for child neglect and child abuse stemming from that?"
RELATED: 'Now We're Planning A Funeral': Attorney Lashes Out At Agency Over Death Of Noah Cuatro
But these allegations of abuse were not the first for Noah's mother, Ursula Juarez. According to court documents, Juarez was suspected in 2014 of having thrown her baby sister and fracturing the child's skull in two places. The injuries were ruled "not accidental," but the DA declined to file charges citing conflicting stories and insufficient evidence. The incident occurred while Juarez was pregnant with Noah.
"I believe that both the LAPD and the L.A. County District Attorney need to reopen the 2014 investigation of the mother of Noah Cuatro," Claypool said.
Claypool also said that he believes that had Noah been returned to Hernandez, as was mandated by a May court order, he would be alive today.
"Allegations of child abuse must be taken serious, not only by DCFS, but law enforcement including our district attorney," Claypool said.
The Los Angeles Police Department and the DA declined to comment.