The Death of Delilah Villegas

On the afternoon of February 14, 2025, at approximately 2:33 p.m., Crystal Canales called 911 and reported that her daughter Delilah was having difficulty breathing. Fire department personnel and paramedics responded, intending to perform CPR. Before they reached Delilah's bedroom, they detected a strong foul odor. When they entered, they found Delilah curled in a near-fetal position on a concrete floor next to a single mattress and bedding pallets. They observed she was already deceased. Due to the condition of her body, officers initially estimated she was approximately 13 years old. Medical personnel determined Delilah had been dead for between six and 24 hours before the 911 call was made.

Delilah was described by the responding officer as "skin to bone." She had multiple bruises and contusions across her body, extensive bedsores, and large lacerations with exposed and decaying tissue. Bones were visible through the skin at her right thigh, shoulder, hip, buttocks, hand, and ankle. Officers noted an outline of her body on the concrete floor, indicating she had remained in the same position for a prolonged period. A deadbolt and lock were found on her bedroom door. The investigation also revealed that Delilah had not received medical care since 2021. The last documented medical call to the home was made in May of that year.

When investigators asked Canales about her daughter's injuries, she said she had not sought medical care because Delilah became violent when she attempted to take her to a doctor. She told police she had been treating the bedsores with Neosporin. She also claimed Delilah had been breathing before first responders arrived and had eaten a handful of Goldfish crackers earlier that day, a claim that was inconsistent with the medical examiner's findings. Detectives concluded that a reasonable person in Canales' position would have sought medical care for the severity of Delilah's wounds, and that the failure to do so constituted reckless conduct resulting in serious bodily injury to a disabled person under her care.