Texas TERROR—Mother Arrested After Severely Autistic Daughter Found “Mummified”
A Texas mother faces charges after her 19-year-old daughter with severe autism was found dead and malnourished in their home. 🌐 #News #BalchSpringsTX #Texas #Crime
BALCH SPRINGS, TX – A tragic scene unfolded in a Dallas, Texas suburb last week when authorities entered a house on Horseshoe Trail in Balch Springs. What they encountered inside left first responders stunned: a 19-year-old girl, dead on a bare mattress, her body so deteriorated it barely resembled a teenager.
Grisly Scene in Balch Springs Home
On February 14, Crystal Canales, 41, dialed 911, claiming her daughter, Delilah Villegas, was struggling to breathe.
Police arrived just before 2:30 p.m. and stepped into a bedroom filled with a pungent stench. A single mattress sat on the floor, surrounded by stacks of blankets and pillows. There, lying on her side in a near-fetal curl, was Delilah—motionless on the concrete.
Her body bore an eerie outline, hinting she’d been in that spot for hours, maybe even a full day. Emergency crews declared her dead on the spot.
The neglectful matriarch told authorities Delilah had been alive earlier, even munching on Goldfish crackers that day. Family members explained the teen had severe autism, couldn’t speak, and relied on diapers, though she had no serious medical diagnoses.
Yet, her condition told a different story: bruises, bed sores, and exposed bones on her thigh, shoulder, hip, buttocks, hand, and ankle. She was so emaciated that responders initially pegged her age at 13, not 19.
A Body Beyond Recognition
Medical experts later assessed that Delilah had been on the ground for at least six hours—possibly up to 24—before help arrived. Her frail frame, covered in sores and appearing almost mummified, painted a grim picture of neglect.
The devious caretaker admitted to dabbing Neosporin on the wounds but said she avoided doctors because Delilah could turn violent. Two other adults in the home backed up claims of the teen’s occasional aggression.
Police dug into records and found Delilah’s last hospital visit was in 2021. The family’s address hadn’t prompted a service call since that May. Detectives determined that “anyone in their right mind” would’ve sought professional care for such severe injuries.
Investigation Presses On
Authorities hauled Canales off to Balch Springs Jail, with a transfer to Dallas County Jail pending. She faces one count of causing serious bodily injury to a disabled person in her care. Tests are underway to pinpoint how long Delilah lay in that state, and police haven’t ruled out additional charges.
For now, the case remains active as investigators piece together the full story.
In the wake of this heartbreaking loss, we pause to honor Delilah Villegas and all those touched by her story—her family, her community, and the responders who faced such a heartrending scene.
We cling to hope even in sorrow, remembering Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God’s presence bring comfort to every soul aching from this pain, and may Delilah rest in His eternal peace.
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