Monica Nicole Figueroa killed 4-year-old son: cops
Monica Nicole Figueroa (Henderson County Sheriff’s Office)
A 43-year-old mother in Texas has been arrested after she allegedly confessed to killing and stabbing her 4-year-old son at her family home while her own mother looked on.
Monica Nicole Figueroa was taken into custody Monday and charged with the murder of a person under the age of 10 in the killing of young Grayson Hurt.
According to a press release from the Athens Police Department, officers responded to a call at around 6:41 a.m. on March 13 from Figueroa’s mother, Mary Johnson, requesting a wellness check at her daughter’s apartment on Block 300 of Mitchell Street. Johnson told 911 she was afraid her daughter might have harmed her grandson, police say.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they first located Figueroa before entering the residence along with emergency medical personnel. Authorities then discovered Hurt’s body just inside the door, “partially covered with a blanket,” the press release said.
Police quickly obtained a search warrant for the Mitchell Street apartment and contacted the Henderson County Crimes Against Children Task Force to assist in the investigation into Hurt’s death. After a preliminary investigation, authorities determined that Figueroa allegedly killed Hurt with “a sharp weapon.”
An autopsy is currently scheduled to be performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science in Dallas.
What may have prompted Figueroa to allegedly kill Hurt, authorities say they’re still not sure. However, authorities say she confessed to the murder shortly after her arrest.
“She really hasn’t given any motive or reasons for it,” Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse told Nacogdoche’s CBS affiliate KYTX.
The sheriff said Figueroa’s mother told investigators that on Sunday afternoon she saw her daughter holding a wooden-handled knife and cutting into what appeared to be a rolled-up blanket.
“Johnson heard the child scream before she saw Figueroa cut the ceiling, and then the screaming stopped,” Sheriff Hillhouse told the station. “Figueroa threatened Johnson and ordered her to leave, which she did.”
When Johnson returned the next morning, she reportedly told authorities she found her grandson dead and called 911.
Other agencies assisting in the ongoing joint investigation into Hurt’s murder include the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office, the Texas Rangers and the Child Protection Service.
“It’s still a very fluid investigation, there are still a lot of moving parts, [we’ve] We still have a lot of pieces to put together, but that’s about where we are right now.”
Figueroa is currently being held without bail in the Henderson County Jail while awaiting charges.
The sheriff reportedly told KYTX that while Figueroa has an undetermined number of other children, Hurt was the only child in the home as she lost custody of her other children.
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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/and-then-the-screaming-stopped-texas-woman-accused-of-stabbing-4-year-old-son-to-death-in-front-of-her-own-mother/ Monica Nicole Figueroa killed 4-year-old son: cops
