Rosalie Uribe left her three children at home with her boyfriend knowing he was physically abusive, police allege. As a result, investigators say, Uribe's youngest son ended up dead by her boyfriend's hand.
On Tuesday, Sacramento police arrested Uribe, 23, on suspicion of three counts of child endangerment: one for 3-year-old Manuel Maciel, who died Nov. 9; one for her 4-year-old son, and one for her 5-year-old son, said Sacramento police spokesman Officer Konrad Von Schoech.
All three counts stem from Uribe's decision to leave her children at her Natomas apartment with her live-in boyfriend, Joseph Skates, on Nov. 7, Von Schoech said.
Detectives believe it was then that Skates inflicted "major head trauma" upon Manuel. The boy died two days later at the UC Davis Medical Center.
Police last week arrested Skates, 23, in Medford, Ore., on suspicion of homicide. He awaits extradition.
"The investigation has revealed that (Uribe)had knowledge of the abuse to one or more of her children and she was negligent in leaving them in the care and custody of (Skates)," Von Schoech said.
Uribe was scheduled for release from the Sacramento County Main Jail on Tuesday on$50,000 bail. Efforts by The Bee to reach her were unsuccessful.
According to police and fire authorities, no 911 calls were made about Manuel's injuries Nov. 7. Instead, he was discovered by authorities accidentally, when a California Highway Patrol officer pulled over a driver that morning for crossing double lines.
The driver was Manuel's grandmother, and she told the officer she was en route to the boy's Zurlo Way apartment for a medical emergency, according to the CHP.
The officer followed her to the apartment, where someone ran out carrying the boy's body. He was barely breathing at the time, the CHP reported.
Manuel was transported to the hospital, and a fire captain on scene, suspicious of the boy's injuries, asked for police to respond. The boy died two days later.
The boy's father, Javier Maciel, was detained on immigration charges at the time of the death and has since been deported to Mexico, said Javier Maciel's sister, Rosa Maciel.
Rosa Maciel, who lives in Coalinga, said her parents housed Uribe and the three children in Madera before Uribe moved to Sacramento.
In the Madera home, Rosa's little sister, Maria, cared for the three boys while Uribe worked at Wal-Mart.
The boy's death has devastated the family, but particularly Maria and her mother, Rosa Maciel said.
"My sister says she hears (Manuel) walking in the house," Rosa Maciel said. "Can you tell how affected they are?"
Uribe is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 9, according to jail booking records.
Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.
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