A mother in New Mexico was arrested after she allegedly told her 6-year-old daughter that she would buy her a “squishy” toy if she promised not to tell anyone that she had choked her.
Angela Gomez Luera was taken into custody on Tuesday, October 20, and was charged with child abuse. She has since been released on her own recognizance.
Authorities became aware of the case when the victim’s father called the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office after he brought his 6-year-old girl to the hospital on October 11, according to a criminal complaint viewed by KTSM.
The father claimed to police that his daughter had been put in a chokehold by her mother, Gomez Luera, 26. The girl had redness around her neck and there was bruising around her eyes, per the criminal complaint.
He explained to the officers that he and Gomez Luera shared custody of the girl, and she was injured while she was in her mother’s care. After Gomez Luera allegedly choked the girl, she went to the school nurse and “requested an ice pack” because she was “hurting.”
The girl then participated in a “safehouse interview,” and she explained that she was crying before her mother allegedly placed her in a chokehold until “she could not breathe.” She added that Gomez Luera eventually released her once she started to scream.
The victim reportedly told police that she “thought she had died” and that “her mother ‘made her die’ while choking her.” Police concluded that the girl had been choked for several seconds based on her claims.
Following the incident, police believe that Gomez Luera told the girl she would buy her a “squishy” toy as long as she kept the alleged abuse a secret.
The father told police that his daughter told him about the chokehold when he picked her up on October 11, and he brought her to the hospital to be examined. He then took her back to the hospital for a second time two days later so she could have a follow-up exam.
Gomez Luera was then arrested on October 20 and was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center. She was released just hours after she was booked.
The defendant is next scheduled to appear in court on December 2.
It is not currently clear if Gomez Luera has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
