Mineral Wells Index
RENO, Texas — Parker County Sheriff’s investigators arrested a Reno woman Wednesday afternoon in connection with the death of her infant child earlier this month.
Sheriff’s deputies were June 13 to the 1500 block of Reno Road to assist Reno Police Department in investigating the death of 6-month-old Zayla Hernandez.
The incident was originally reported as a medical emergency involving the infant.
The mother of the child, identified as Cheyenne Summer Stuckey, 21, told investigators she placed the child in the bathtub with the water running and left the baby alone “for only a couple minutes,” and returned later to find her daughter Zayla unresponsive, floating face-down in the bathtub.
Stuckey reported she was uncertain if she had placed a bathtub stopper in the drain.
A criminal investigation revealed Stuckey had been on a social media site messaging two individuals for at least 18 minutes while the infant was left unattended, according to the sheriff’s department.
Emergency medical personnel arrived and performed cardio pulmonary resuscitation, but were unsuccessful. Zayla was transported to an Azle hospital by ambulance, where she was pronounced deceased.
Since the incident, the remaining children in the home have been removed and were placed in foster care.
A Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s preliminary autopsy report revealed Zayla died from drowning.
Stuckey said she left the bathroom and became “distracted” by another child and then her social media messenger with a television playing loudly.
Stuckey reportedly told investigators when she realized she had forgotten about Zayla, she rushed to check on her but found her floating face-down in the tub and unresponsive. Stuckey also reported she attempted to resuscitate Zayla but “did not know how.”
She was booked into the Parker County Jail and charged with felony injury to a child. Her bond was set at $50,000.
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