By the time first responders reached the small North Miami Beach home, the 6-year-old boy was in cardiac arrest. Within hours, the two adults responsible for his care were offering police a series of explanations that did not match the child’s injuries.
Two Adults, One Critically Injured Child
According to reporting by Law & Crime, North Miami Beach officers were dispatched earlier this month to a residence on Northeast 179th Street for a report of a 6-year-old in cardiac arrest. When officers arrived, they found the child with no detectable pulse, performed CPR, and transferred care to paramedics, who restored a pulse and took him to Jackson North Hospital.
Miami-Dade County jail records, cited by Law & Crime, identify the adults at the center of the case as the child’s mother, 32-year-old Cynthia Hernandez, and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Daniel Eduardo Romero. Both are now in custody at the county jail, according to those records.
Romero is charged with aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect with great bodily harm, and providing false information to law enforcement. Hernandez is charged with child neglect resulting in great bodily harm, failure to report child abuse or neglect, and providing false information to law enforcement.
Law & Crime’s account is based on an arrest report and on-air reporting from NBC affiliate WTVJ in Miami, also known as NBC 6 (nbcmiami.com). The police report itself has not been publicly posted online, but both outlets describe consistent details about the injuries and the statements police say they received from the adults.
From Bicycle Tale To Wagon And Falling In Bed
At the scene and in subsequent interviews, investigators say Romero’s account shifted several times.
According to the arrest report described by Law & Crime and NBC 6, Romero initially told officers he had been teaching the boy to ride a bicycle the previous day. He claimed the child fell, bruising and scratching his forehead and face. When officers asked to see the bicycle, Romero was allegedly unable to produce one.
Police say Romero then changed his story. This time, according to the report, he said they had been playing on a wagon instead of a bike. Officers were shown a wagon, but noted it had a broken wheel and appeared weathered and unused.
Romero allegedly told investigators that he did not think the child was badly hurt, so he did not seek medical care. The next morning, he said, the boy was lethargic and grew progressively weaker until he lost consciousness, at which point someone called 911.
Hernandez, questioned separately, initially echoed the bicycle story, according to police accounts summarized by Law & Crime. She later told investigators she had repeated what Romero instructed her to say.
In a subsequent version, Hernandez told officers she woke up that day to find Romero next to her son, according to the arrest report. Romero allegedly told her the child had been rocking on the edge of the bed, then fell and struck his head on a television and again on a food stand.
Hernandez reported seeing swelling at the back of her son’s head, a small cut with bleeding, and a swollen arm. She told police she gave him medication, applied ice, and left the house.
When she returned, according to the report, she found additional injuries, including a large lump on his forehead and fresh scratches on his face. Hernandez told police that when she confronted Romero, he said he had slipped and fallen while running in socks and holding the child.
Only then, investigators say, did Romero instruct Hernandez to use the bicycle explanation if anyone asked what happened. Hernandez allegedly admitted that detail to law enforcement later in the interview.
Medical Findings And The Question Of Accident
After initial stabilization, the boy was transferred to Holtz Children’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial, part of the Jackson Health System in Miami, according to Law & Crime and NBC 6. Jackson Health confirms Holtz Children’s Hospital is the system’s pediatric trauma center on its site at jacksonhealth.org.
At Holtz, medical staff documented a long list of serious injuries. According to the arrest report, as quoted by Law & Crime, clinicians noted:
Item 1: Internal bleeding to the brain and abdominal cavity.
Item 2: Lacerations to the liver, kidney, and spleen.
Item 3: A fractured left arm.
Item 4: Bruises and scratches on the face and back.
Item 5: Swelling on the forehead and the back of the head.
A physician assistant involved in the boy’s care told investigators that these injuries could not have been caused accidentally, according to the arrest report cited by Law & Crime. Instead, the clinician reportedly concluded they were likely the result of blunt force trauma.
The child’s exact current condition has not been made public. Reports from NBC 6 indicate he survived long enough to be transferred for specialized pediatric care. No further medical updates have been released in the publicly available reporting.
Outside the hospital, the boy’s grandmother spoke to NBC 6 about the injuries and their impact on the family. In a video aired by the station, she said, “You hurt my child, you hurt my grandson to the core.” She added, “You beat on a 6-year-old autistic boy like he was nothing.”
Where The Law Draws A Line For Caregivers
Hernandez is not accused of physically harming her son. Prosecutors instead allege that she failed to protect him and misled investigators at a critical moment.
The charges against her include child neglect resulting in great bodily harm and failure to report child abuse or neglect, both serious felonies under Florida law. Prosecutors in such cases often focus on what a caregiver knew or should reasonably have known about a child’s safety, how quickly they sought medical care, and whether they impeded or assisted an investigation.
According to the arrest report summarized by Law & Crime, Hernandez eventually told police she believed Romero was responsible for her son’s injuries. She allegedly described him as frequently irritated by the boy’s autistic behaviors and by the crying of the couple’s 5-month-old child. She also said Romero strongly disliked the older child’s biological father and became angry when the boy’s legal last name was used.
These details appear to be part of the state’s theory that Romero had both motive and opportunity to harm the child, and that warning signs may have been present before the day of the 911 call.
Hernandez’s defense attorney, however, has publicly argued that she should not be treated as a criminal defendant. In a statement to NBC 6, quoted by Law & Crime, attorney Hugo Apellaniz said, “We are extremely disappointed that the N.M.B. Police Department has decided to arrest and press charges against a mother who is nothing more than a victim. People are not perfect, but this is a dire mistake.”
Apellaniz continued, “The police are aware that our client is also a victim at the hands of Daniel Romero as unfortunately her son was as well. The focus is on her son’s health and recovery, and we look forward to her being vindicated.”
In many child abuse prosecutions, courts are asked to weigh similar arguments about non-offending caregivers who may themselves have been in abusive or controlling relationships. Public records in this case do not yet include a detailed account of any alleged abuse of Hernandez, beyond her attorney’s statement.
Custody, Court Hearings, And What Is Still Unknown
Jail records reviewed by Law & Crime indicate that Romero is being held without bond. That status suggests a judge agreed with prosecutors that pretrial detention was warranted, at least at this stage.
Hernandez, according to the same records, is in custody while a court considers bond. That means her ability to care for her younger child and to visit the injured 6-year-old is now controlled by court orders and child welfare authorities, rather than by her own choices.
Key details remain unresolved in the public record. The reports reviewed so far do not specify whether either defendant has entered a plea. They also do not indicate whether prosecutors plan to seek additional charges as the medical picture becomes clearer, or whether any plea negotiations are underway.
It is also not yet clear what long-term medical outcome the boy will face. Internal bleeding to the brain and abdominal organs, coupled with multiple lacerations and fractures, can leave lasting physical and cognitive effects, but his prognosis has not been disclosed.
As of the latest reporting from Law & Crime and NBC 6, one fact is not in dispute. A 6-year-old autistic child remains at the center of the case, his injuries documented in medical charts, while the adults who were supposed to care for him now await decisions from judges and juries about their own futures.
