The Misery Machine - The Case of Jayden Lopez

Starting point is 00:00:00 Jaden Alexander Lopez was born on January 3rd, 2013 in Texas. His mother was Rebecca Suzanne Rivera. The name of his father was not released to the public. He had a younger brother named Axel. Jaden had dark hair, dark eyes, and long eyelashes, and a slightly upturned nose. At the time of our story, he was four years old, but was quite small for his age, and he was very thin.

Starting point is 00:00:28 In a picture taken shortly before the events of this story, he was wearing a striped blue and white shirt, black pants, and Spider-Man shoes. Just three months shy of five years old, he would have been talking and almost ready for kindergarten. He still had his baby teeth, and his mother said he had been to the beach and like the water. Based on his Spider-Man shoes, it's reasonable to think that he might have been a fan of superheroes, but unfortunately, we will never know, and not much has been to be. disclosed about who Jaden was as a person. The forensic artist who sketched the little boy said he had full lips and beautiful eyelashes. She could picture him smiling and he reminded her of her own grandson. On October 20th, 2017, a woman walking along the beach by the seawall in Galveston, Texas, noticed something in the water. From a distance, it looked like a log or maybe a big fish,

Starting point is 00:01:23 but she wasn't really sure what she was looking at. Concerned and likely acting, on some sort of intuition, she called the local police. When officers arrived, they found the body of a child in the water just offshore. It was a boy. He had no clothes on. He was about three feet tall, very skinny, and possibly three to five years old. They picked him up gently and brought him to the shore. We searched the beach and collected dozens of pieces of potential evidence. They concluded rather quickly that the parents were likely still alive. Lee said it was a lucky citing. The beach wasn't too far from the Beach Hut Bar Music Venue, but they were closed for renovation. That section of beach isn't a popular destination, especially not in October.

Starting point is 00:02:09 Captain Joshua Sherard of Galveston PD said, there's not a lot of beach in between the dunes and the actual tide line, so it's definitely not heavily trafficked, not heavily populated, and we really don't get a lot of people walking to and from. Officers check with nearby law enforcement agencies as well as the Coast Guard, but nobody had heard anything. They expected the boy would be reported missing that night or the following day, but that did not happen. Law enforcement said there was no family, no friends, no outcry, nobody to claim this little boy. When days passed and no one reported an accident or a missing child matching his description,

Starting point is 00:02:48 least then suspected foul play. Their suspicions grew after the body was examined. It showed signs of neglect and injuries consistent with CA. The medical examiner was certain the boy hadn't died by drowning, so he had to have been placed in the water once he was already dead. Galveston Police Detective Jeff Banks said, Somebody knows him. We are going to do right by him.

Starting point is 00:03:12 We're going to find out who did it. Who put him in the water. Banks was the lead detective and would spend over 1,600 hours on the case before it was finished. Because it involves such a young victim, the FBI assisted the Galveston police in their search. of missing persons databases. They also submitted DNA samples to labs that handled missing persons cases.

Starting point is 00:03:35 For a couple of days, they thought they might have a match. The sketch of a missing boy from Hawkins County, Tennessee, looked similar, but they soon determined the cases were unrelated. He was given the nickname Little Jacob. The FBI asked forensic artist Lois Gibson to draw a sketch based on the photos from the crime scene.

Starting point is 00:03:55 Lois is a world-renowned sketch artist, and has been involved in many difficult cases. She drew the picture of Baby Grace, who was identified as Riley Ann Sawyer. You might remember Riley from when we covered her case in early November of 2023. Lois wanted to make the boy come to life in her sketch. She said,

Starting point is 00:04:14 I want to reach out to that grandmother or the relative or the mommy, or the daddy or some neighbor. Somebody knows the baby. She said, you can't figure out who murdered that child because you don't have a name. But as soon as you have a name, it's so easy to solve.

Starting point is 00:04:32 Once you find the parents, you're done. You get to look in their face and say, where's your little boy? In November of 2017, the sketch of Little Jacob appeared in a billboard campaign around Texas, as well as Kentucky and Tennessee. The FBI offered a reward of $10,000 for any information. Lots of tips did come in, but none of them helped identify Little Jacob. Some callers volunteered to pay for the boy's funeral, but he could not be laid to rest until his case was solved, so until then, his body remained at the morgue. The FBI decided to take the search nationwide. Crime Stoppers organization got involved and offered their own $5,000 reward.

Starting point is 00:05:13 Police asked the public to be vigilant and to be on the lookout for certain suspicious actions because little Jacob's parents may be acting differently. It might be missing work or might have abruptly moved. And furthermore, the police thought it could be possible that they might have a plausible explanation for their child's sudden disappearance. Possible explanations they mentioned included them saying CPS had taken the child or he was staying with other family members or friends or potentially that the child had been having health or behavioral problems causing the family or parent extra stress. A crime stopper's representative said, you have a neighbor where you see that the child is no longer coming outside and then maybe giving an explanation that sounds plausible, be aware, be curious, call crime stoppers. The executive director of crime stoppers said, somebody knows something. Why aren't they coming forward?

Starting point is 00:06:06 This was a little child whose last moments were probably horrific. That doesn't pull on your heartstrings or break your heart. I don't know what will. On January 30th, 2018, the police decided to release. an edited version of one of the actual crime scene photos. This was considered quite the controversial decision. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, photographs of dead bodies, especially those of very young children, are not often released to the public for obvious reasons, but in this case, they hoped the picture of his face would help someone recognize him. Lois said the difference between

Starting point is 00:06:42 the sketch she drew, and the actual photo was the emotional response to the picture of vote. In this photograph, his eyes were closed and at first some described him as looking like he was asleep. However, a closer look revealed mottled skin, pale lips and a lifeless expression. The police are hoping an extreme step they took today will finally help them identify a little boy whose body was found on the beach. They released a photograph of the deceased boy, which is rare and even more rare for us to show it to you. But it's what they feel they have to do in order to get some answers. Brett Buffington explains lie for us. tonight, Brett?

Starting point is 00:07:22 The Mia, police are hoping that the pure emotion of seeing that little boy's face will force someone to say something. Meanwhile, the nationally known HPD forensic artist who sketched this picture last October, she told me tonight she absolutely agrees that the picture released today is what the public needs to see. This face makes six. Six times this forensic artist has shown the world the face of such young victims. In six cases, this is the only one that's still unsold. Lois Gibson says that is painful. I have one goal, very clear. Let's find out who the baby is. It is disturbing. In fact, looking at this little boy's picture is gut-wrenching. It's the photo Lois used to sketch this portrait back in

Starting point is 00:08:12 October, so similar, except for the reaction. Because everybody's going, wait, the baby. The baby's He's asleep. Oh, no, he's dead. I mean, that, what a cute little baby boy. Galveston police investigators today said they believe this child for now named little Jacob was dumped in the water in Galveston County. An autopsy proved he didn't drown and was likely abused and neglected before the little boy died. Three months later, police don't know who he is nor who he belonged to.

Starting point is 00:08:47 he belonged to. Life if it doesn't get solved. And that's what we think about is that great big chasm and the big chasm that we look into the dark hole is what if it doesn't get solved. Police said they made such a bold move today because they had exhausted all of their leads in this case literally hundreds of them. That picture of this little boy taken on that Galveston Beach, Lynn, just hours after his little body was found. Captain Sharrock, said, we're not releasing this photo lightly. It's really being done at this point as a last option. Someone has seen him. That child deserves to be identified and be properly laid to rest. For this to happen, input from the public is absolutely crucial.

Starting point is 00:09:36 Hundreds of tips came in, and two of those tips put police on the right path. One caller recognized the boy in the crime scene photo. while another said he thought Little Jacob might be the son of Rebecca Rivera and her girlfriend, Donya Amosquita Gomez. Rebecca had two children, but when the caller saw her and her girlfriend in December of 2017, they only had one child with them. The child with them looked like the picture of Little Jacob and appeared malnourished and sickly.

Starting point is 00:10:06 The caller also reported hearing a conversation in which the two women said they moved to Chicago in October of 2017. around the time that Little Jacob was found. The couple had returned to Houston in December for a special occasion. The caller had personal knowledge of the child and was able to provide contact information for his guardians. In April, another tip led police to talk to Diana Amizkita, who was Donya's sister. During the FBI interview, Diana said she asked where Rebecca's older son was, and Rebecca told her that he was with family.

Starting point is 00:10:38 The FBI contacted members of Rebecca's family, but they said they didn't know. where her son was. However, they did share a picture of the boy with police. He did, in fact, look like Little Jacob. The FBI and Galveston Police tracked the couple to an apartment on Kingsgate Circle in Houston, where they were staying with a friend. Police knocked and announced themselves, a woman responded by crawling out the second floor window and running away. While we could not find confirmation in our research, it appears this woman was able to escape police. Officers contacted the friend who was leasing the apartment, who subsequently agreed to let them search it. Lease returned to the apartment a few days later. This time they found Rebecca inside, along with

Starting point is 00:11:21 Donya and Axel, Rebecca's three-year-old son. Rebecca said her son had been kidnapped, but she refused to provide any additional information when she was pressed about it. Donya said she hadn't seen the boy for six months, and that she believed he was staying with family. She came home and he wasn't there. Rebecca told her the boy was fine, that they needed to be. to leave the state. They moved to Chicago for a few months, and while in Chicago, she said Rebecca told her he had been kidnapped. After the police showed her the picture of Little Jacob, Donya changed her story. She said Rebecca had told her the boy was dead. She claimed she had only found that information out four days prior. At some point, officers realized

Starting point is 00:12:02 Donya didn't have proper immigration paperwork. She was subsequently brought to the ICE immigration facility in Harris County and she was held there. Officers gathered information about Rebecca's son. They found out he had broken his left femur two years ago and had been treated at the Texas Children's Hospital. He also connected DNA from Rebecca to test against samples obtained from Little Jacob. The medical examiner confirmed that Little Jacob had a healed left femur bone, just like Rebecca's missing son. The DNA results came back on April 25th showing that Rebecca was 49 million times more likely to be the mother than any other person. Jaden Lopez was little Jacob.

Starting point is 00:12:45 On Friday, October 2017, Galveston police officers were forced to recover the naked dead body of a baby boy from the shores of Galveston. There was no family, no friends, no outcry, nobody that claimed this little boy. So they immediately launched an investigation to determine the cause of death and his identity. They tried all the old school tricks, database, phone calls, every contact we had across the country to no avail. We then held a press conference and released a sketch of Little Jacob in hopes that someone would come forward and tell us who this baby was.

Starting point is 00:13:28 Even with hundreds of tips that came in, we followed up on all of them, but made little progress. When I arrived in January, my only goal, quite honestly, was not just was not justice. It was to give this baby a name because we had none. So we met, I asked them, is there anything we haven't done? Is there anybody we haven't called? Is there any technology we can borrow? Is there anything else we can do?

Starting point is 00:13:56 And these guys had a lot of creative ideas. None of them were mine. One of those ideas, let's release a crime scene photo, which is very controversial. So we reached out to some experts to see what the public reaction would be and try to make this determination. Then on January 30th, 2018, we released that edited crime scene photo of Little Jacob. We again received hundreds of tips and continued to follow up on the FBI tip line here at Galveston PD. And two of those tips in conjunction with one another, let us see us. led us to a possible identity of a baby named Jaden in Houston, Texas.

Starting point is 00:14:45 Because of the public involvement, we follow up on more leads, found that this baby was under the care of his mother and her girlfriend at the time, and so we were able to get a DNA comparison and positively identify Jaden Lopez, Jaden Alexander Lopez, who was four years old at the time of death. Good morning. My name is Brian Gaines. That's B-R-Y-A-N-G-A-I-E-S. And I'm the supervisory senior resident agent at the FBI office in Texas City. This investigation into the circumstances of Jaden's death has been ongoing for the past eight months and has involved investigators from the Galveston Police Department working closely

Starting point is 00:15:37 with special agents from the FBI's Texas City Office. Even though I'm not a parent, I can say to this case has been immensely difficult to work. Many of the investigators work tirelessly on the case are also parents, and they feel the same way. While our job is to investigate these types of crimes, it is especially difficult when the victim is a defenseless child. At a press conference announcing the boy's identity, FBI agent Brian Gaines said, No one reported Jaden is missing. No one was looking for him. Someone took a beautiful, innocent child and discarded him in the ocean as if he was a piece of trash.

Starting point is 00:16:21 For many of us in the bureau, this was an appalling crime that made our hearts heavy, yet steeled our resolve to find justice for Jaden. Agent Gaines also stressed the important role the public played. He said, this is a perfect example of how the police. police, the media, and the citizens came together. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the help of the media and the hundreds of phone calls from not only around the country, but around the world. Now that they had a name, investigators needed to figure out what happened to Jaden. He and Axel lived with his mother in Danya in an apartment on Bisonette Street in Houston. How did he end up an hour away

Starting point is 00:16:57 in the waters off of the coast of Galveston? Police located key pieces of video and photographic evidence from October 19th just hours before Jaden's body was found. Rebecca's Azuzu Rodeo had passed a toll booth in the middle of the night, headed toward Galveston. The video showed the vehicle exiting Beltway 8 via an exit ramp. A photo taken through the front window showed Rebecca in the driver's seat and Donia in the passenger seat. Because of the angle, investigators couldn't see into the back seat of the car. In May, FBI interviewed Eudanya at the ICE detention center. They asked her if she had been in the vehicle that night. She said Rebecca told her to get into the SUV, so she did. She claimed that she was too drunk

Starting point is 00:17:43 to remember anything else. As they continue to question her, she claimed she had been out drinking. When she returned, Jaden was dead. She claimed Rebecca didn't tell her what happens. On June 19th, Rebecca was taken into custody and her three-year-old son, Axel, was placed in foster care after they could not locate the father. of the boys. He thankfully was found completely unharmed. During a police interview, Rebecca said Jaden had run into the wall and hurt his head a couple weeks before his death. She said she tried to clean the wound out by pouring alcohol on it. Said Danya argued with her while she was pouring the alcohol and she accidentally spilled it all over his face. After his accident, she said he

Starting point is 00:18:24 acted differently and became a problem. She said she often blamed him for causing problems in her relationship with Donya. She got angry with her girlfriend. She said she would hit him with clothes hangers or whatever she could find. Although she claimed this behavior started after he hit his head, the evidence on his body, including the broken left femur that occurred two years before, suggested she had been beating him for much longer than that. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services had previously been involved with Rebecca,

Starting point is 00:18:55 though it did not release their records regarding Jaden. The day after his head injury, she said Jaden's face swelled. He was tired and lacked energy and complained of stomach aches. Over the next two weeks, he got sicker and sicker. She said she didn't take him to the hospital because she was afraid that he and her younger son would be taken away from her. Donnie was at the apartment during those two weeks. She watched his health decline in front of her eyes, but she chose to do nothing. Rebecca said Jaden passed away in the middle of the night.

Starting point is 00:19:28 Because he liked the beach in the water, she decided to put his body in the ocean. According to her, it had nothing to do with hiding his death or her part in it. Rebecca said she and Danya traveled together to Galveston along with her toddler. It should be noted that Jaden's dead body was also in the SUV while Axel was in the car the entire time. It would be reasonable to assume that Axel was exposed to this if he hadn't already seen his brother dead. The couple dumped his body in the water off of East Beach, not far for what was found the next day. Rebecca was arrested and charged with a felony count of tampering or with fabricating evidence of a human body. Donya was charged with a misdemeanor count of the same crime.

Starting point is 00:20:13 Rebecca's bond was set for $250,000. Donya's bond was set for $100,000, but since she was on an immigration hold, she wouldn't have been released even if she could have come up with the money. were both held in the Galveston County Jail. A few days after Rebecca's confession, charges against both women were increased to first-degree felony offenses of injury to a child by admission. In Texas, a legal guardian is required to take action when necessary.

Starting point is 00:20:42 When failure to act causes a child to suffer serious bodily injuries, it is a crime under Texas law. With the new charge, Rebecca's bond was raised to $500,000. For the trial, Rebecca asked the court for special. special treatment since she had never been convicted of a felony in Texas or any other state. However, she was not completely unknown to the justice system. She had been convicted of a DUI in 2003, though this was not a felony conviction. She was also arrested in 2011, but eventually released and no charges came from the second

Starting point is 00:21:13 arrest. Still claiming to be an upstanding citizen, she pled for leniency and asked the court for a suspended sentence and probation in the event she was convicted. Danya took a plea deal. In exchange for her testimony against Rebecca, she would receive a shorter sentence. Although ICE was in the process of deporting her, her criminal case had to be resolved first. Rebecca's trial began on January 27, 2021. Prosecutors were two district attorneys from the special victims unit of Galveston County. Galveston County medical examiner Dr. Aaron Barnhart performed the autopsy. She found signs of neglect and CA so severe she characterized it as torquisting.

Starting point is 00:21:53 In addition to the broken femur, Jaden had scars all over his body consistent with being beaten with clothes hangers. He had ligature marks on his wrist and ankles, indicating he had been tied up and restrained. He had cigarette burns all over his back. He also had numerous bruises and blunt force trauma injuries. His lungs showed signs of pneumonia. Jaden was also extremely malnourished to the point of amaciation. He was about three feet tall and weighed only 28 pounds. Please keep in mind, a healthy weight for a boy his age would have been between 35 to 39 pounds.

Starting point is 00:22:33 Dr. Barnhart was certain he had not drowned. He was dead before he was dumped in the water. However, the doctor couldn't point to an exact cause of death. Based on his examination, she believed Jaden died on October 17th or 18th. Investigators found evidence that Rebecca started to do. telling people he was living with other family members on October 18th. The trial lasted seven days. The jury deliberated for an hour before finding Rebecca Rivera guilty of injury to a child by a mission.

Starting point is 00:23:04 For sentencing, prosecutor said, you can't rehabilitate evil, and this defendant earned every day of a life sentence. Rebecca was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years. She appealed her conviction, but her appeal was denied on February 28, 2023. She's currently serving her time at the William P. Hobby Women's Prison in Falls County, Texas. She will become eligible for parole in 2048. Danya pled guilty and was sentenced to two years for her part in Jane's death. She was also sentenced to two years for an unrelated crime, harassment of a public servant. We could not find any additional details surrounding this harassment conviction.

Starting point is 00:23:46 A search of Texas inmate shows that she is no longer incarcerated there. She was likely deported after her release. The people of Galveston were shaken by Jaden's story. On February 19th, local residents Valerie Sutton and Pamela Willem held a candlelight vigil for Little Jacob on the beach close to where his body had been found. Dozens of people gathered to honor his short life. Valerie said she was troubled by his case. She said, children are supposed to be happy and taken care of, and apparently this didn't happen to. him at all. She wanted to hold a vigil because, in her words, he was a precious little boy. He was

Starting point is 00:24:26 precious and deserves to be honored. Pamela said, this boy needs to be remembered. We don't have to know somebody to love them, especially a child. As the sunset once again tonight on Galveston, justice needs to be served. It became another day a terrible mystery went unsolved. This boy needs to be remembered. The mystery of a toddler nicknamed little Jacob has shaken this island. He was a child and you know children are supposed to be happy and taken care of and apparently this doesn't happen to him at all. Like we need to do something. Pamela Willem and Valerie Sutton are now planning a candlelight vigil for little Jacob. I would like to see this whole seawall lit up end to end with lights. A way to honor this little boy's life. We don't have to know somebody to love them and especially a child.

Starting point is 00:25:18 wait for justice in his death. He was a precious little boy. He was precious. And he deserves to be honored. Local saddened by the case created a small shrine in his memory on the seawall near 7th Street, not far from where he was found.

Starting point is 00:25:37 They set up several crosses, one painted with the words, You matter, little guy. Visitors left stuffed animals, toys, and other small gifts. Another memorial of blue wooden crosses was constructed down on the beach. Warner's left flowers and a baseball for Jaden.

Starting point is 00:25:54 Jaden's family didn't want to talk to the press, but his aunt organized a funeral for him on July 6, 2018. La Paz's funeral home in Houston donated its services, the casket, the hearse, and a plot for his burial. White teddy bear sat on top of his small white casket. And our top story this afternoon, a little boy found dead on a beach in Galveston months ago has finally been laid to rest. The casket of four-year-old Jaden Lopez was carried today to Hollywood Cemetery in North Houston after a funeral service for friends and family. Galveston

Starting point is 00:26:29 police officers, some of whom had worked around the clock to identify Jaden, led the procession from the funeral home to the cemetery. He was buried in the Babyland section of Hollywood Cemetery in Houston. A woman who attended the funeral, known only by the first name Maria, said what everyone was thinking out loud. A mother is supposed to protect their child no matter what, and she failed. Father Francisco Xavier Aponte conducted the service. Afterwards, he spoke about the role we all play in stopping tragedies such as these. He said, we need as a community to be more aware of our surroundings. We need to stop this. This child deserved a better life. The way we can honor this child now is to do something for the next one.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Jayden Lopez

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