Man charged with manslaughter in death of Falls County child

FALLS COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) – Juan Manuel Landeros, 29, is charged with manslaughter in the death of a child under the age of 10 who suffered fatal injuries while Landeros was bathing him, an arrest warrant affidavit states.

The child, whose age was not documented in the affidavit, died on Feb. 1.

On April 12, Landeros was interviewed by a special agent with The Texas Dept. of Public Safety.

Landeros told the investigator that he bathed the child on Feb. 1 in an effort to mitigate the child’s fever.

Landeros, according to the affidavit, told the investigator he was “frustrated due to several personal issues,” and while bathing the child, he turned to grab the shampoo while still holding the baby.

The document states Landeros admitted that he “turned violently, causing the child’s head to hit the wall of the shower, and the child’s neck to bend.”

When the child’s head struck the wall, it made a loud thumping noise and the child’s mother called out to Landeros to ask what it was. Landeros, the affidavit states, told the mother he had accidentally struck his elbow against the wall while bathing the child.

Landeros further told the DPS special agent that after the child’s head struck the wall, the child’s breathing became more labored and the child started taking deep breaths before he stopped breathing, the affidavit states.

The man said he checked for the child’s pulse but could not feel anything, or hear a heartbeat.

Landeros and the child’s mother called 911 for help and Landeros performed CPR while paramedics arrived.

The child was transported to the Falls County Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

While at the hospital, several other bruises were observed on the child’s neck.

Landeros was questioned about the bruises and he told investigators that a few days earlier, on Jan. 30, the child had a fever and so he bathed the child in an effort to reduce it.

“Landeros said that after he lathered the child’s body, he went to turn the child over and the child slipped out of his hands. As the child fell, the child struck the back of his head on the shower knob and his shoulder on the waterspout,” the affidavit states, “Landeros said that he grabbed the child around his neck with his hands and pulled him back to his chest.”

When Landeros was asked by investigators if he took responsibility for his actions, “he said he did and apologized to the child’s mother,” the document states.