A Mathis woman has been charged with capital murder after police say she killed her seven-month-old daughter, according to local authorities.
Mathis Police Chief Guillermo “Willie” Figueroa confirmed that 23-year-old Olivia Munoz was arrested following the December 19 death of her baby, Hazel. Munoz initially told police she found her daughter unresponsive at their home on the 900 block of Marigold Street.
According to investigators, Munoz alerted her mother that Hazel was not breathing. Hazel’s grandmother then instructed another family member to call 911. Emergency responders transported the infant to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Hospital staff soon notified police after noticing injuries on the child’s body.
When questioned by officers, Munoz reportedly confessed to injuring Hazel on three separate occasions. Chief Figueroa said Munoz admitted she never sought medical help for her daughter despite the baby’s visible injuries.
“At the time, Munoz was pregnant and the mother of another daughter, a year and five months old. The older child did not have injuries,” Figueroa stated.
Munoz was initially charged with two counts of injury to a child related to two of the three incidents she described. However, after receiving the results of the infant’s autopsy, police upgraded her charges to capital murder.
According to the report, Hazel suffered multiple fractures to her arms, skull, and ribs. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
“She admitted she had a lot of anger towards the seven-month-old baby due to problems she had with the baby’s father,” Chief Figueroa said. “She told officers that her three children shared the same biological father.”
Investigators said Munoz’s statements and the medical evidence aligned with a pattern of repeated physical abuse leading up to Hazel’s death.
The Texas Rangers have joined the Mathis Police Department in assisting with the ongoing investigation. Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances of the assaults or the condition of Munoz’s other children.
Munoz is being held in the San Patricio County Jail on a $1.1 million bond. If convicted of capital murder, she could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty under Texas law.
The Mathis community has expressed shock and grief over the case, which police say underscores the devastating consequences of unreported child abuse and the need for early intervention in at-risk households.