Investigators say a 2-month-old girl was burned in a hot bath, denied timely medical care and later died with other serious injuries.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Missouri woman and her ex-husband have been charged with second-degree murder after investigators said a 2-month-old girl suffered severe burns in a hot bath, was not taken for prompt medical care and died months later from complications tied to her injuries.
The case drew attention in Greene County because it combines a delayed criminal filing, an infant’s death inside a crowded home and allegations that adults around the child knew she was badly hurt but still kept her from a hospital. Prosecutors charged Jonathan Gaona, 33, and Stephanie Hernandez, 29, about a year after the girl, Jaylynn, died on Feb. 11, 2025. Authorities said the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and listed complications of thermal burns as the main cause, with blunt force head injuries, acute pneumonia and methamphetamine toxicity as contributing factors.
According to investigators, the chain of events began days before Jaylynn died, while she was in the care of Gaona, Hernandez’s ex-husband, inside a residence they still shared in the Springfield area. Court records described Gaona as living with Hernandez despite their divorce and helping raise Jaylynn even though he was not her biological father. Detectives said Gaona told them he placed the baby in a bathtub, turned on hot water, became distracted by other children in the home and then heard her scream. He later described the incident as an accident, saying he put the infant back in her crib and did not think much of it at the time. Investigators said he later acknowledged that when he tried to dry her, skin was peeling and she appeared to be in pain, but he still did not seek emergency care.
Detectives said Gaona told them he searched online for how to treat burns on a baby and tried to handle the injuries himself with cream and powder. In the probable cause statement, investigators wrote that he told them he believed the powder might harden and help the burns heal. Authorities also said he admitted to other abuse, including grabbing Jaylynn by the ears and shaking her head because he felt stressed and overwhelmed while caring for several children. A woman staying in the home told police she wanted to get the infant to a hospital, but Gaona and Hernandez repeatedly told her not to, according to the affidavit. Police said Gaona also begged the woman not to call 911. The roommate called anyway after Jaylynn stopped breathing, bringing deputies and emergency workers to the home on Feb. 11.
By the time officers saw the baby, investigators said, the injuries were extensive and obvious. A detective wrote that much of Jaylynn’s torso was red and appeared to be missing the top layer of skin. The same kind of damage, the detective said, appeared on part of her thigh, part of her face and across the upper portion of her back. Authorities said the infant was rushed to a local hospital, where she died. The medical examiner later concluded that while the thermal burns were central to her death, they were not the only findings. The autopsy also listed head injuries, pneumonia and methamphetamine toxicity as contributing factors, raising additional questions about the conditions inside the home and what may have happened in the period before the 911 call. Public reporting reviewed for this article did not explain how the methamphetamine entered the child’s system, and charging documents summarized in news reports do not answer that question.
Investigators said Hernandez’s role in the case centers on what she knew after the child was burned and what she did not do. According to the affidavit, Hernandez told detectives she did not take Jaylynn to the hospital because she feared losing her other children. Prosecutors say that decision allowed the baby’s condition to worsen. Authorities alleged Hernandez saw the injuries, heard concerns from another adult in the home and still refused treatment. The affidavit says she later acknowledged to detectives that her actions resulted in her daughter’s death. The records described a home with multiple children and adults moving through the same space, but the public documents summarized so far leave key unknowns. They do not fully explain when each adult first saw the burns, how long Jaylynn went untreated, or whether anyone outside the home was alerted before the final emergency call. Those gaps are likely to matter as the case moves through court.
The filing also added a separate layer of scrutiny because of what happened after Jaylynn died. After the infant’s death, Hernandez created a GoFundMe page seeking help with funeral expenses, describing herself as a mother of six children living paycheck to paycheck. The page said she wanted to give her baby a proper goodbye. That fundraising effort became part of the public reaction when the homicide charges were announced about a year later. The criminal case, however, rests on the medical findings and the statements investigators said they gathered from the adults in the home. In addition to second-degree murder, both defendants were charged with abuse or neglect of a child and child endangerment. Reports on court records indicate Gaona faced the broader set of allegations tied to the burns and the physical abuse described by detectives, while Hernandez was accused of failing to protect the child and refusing needed care. Both were ordered held without bond when the charges were announced.
The case has unfolded in a region where child death investigations often move slowly because of autopsy timelines, toxicology testing and the need to compare early witness statements against medical evidence. Here, the gap between Jaylynn’s death in February 2025 and the charges filed in February 2026 suggests investigators spent months building the record before presenting it to prosecutors. The probable cause statement, as described in multiple reports, ties together the bath incident, the delayed treatment, the 911 call, the hospital observations and the autopsy findings. It also points to a difficult family arrangement: Gaona and Hernandez were divorced but still sharing a residence, and investigators said Jaylynn’s biological father was another man. That context does not change the criminal allegations, but it helps explain why detectives focused closely on who was caring for the infant, who had authority in the home and who made the decision not to seek help.
For neighbors and readers following the case, the details that stand out are not only the severity of the burns but the number of moments when intervention appears possible. A roommate told police she tried to get the baby medical care. Detectives said Gaona admitted he knew the child was badly hurt when he saw her skin peeling. Hernandez, investigators said, recognized the danger but still avoided a hospital because she feared state action involving her other children. Gaona, according to the affidavit, told police, “I’m a monster,” after describing how he treated the child. The public record so far offers only brief snapshots of the adults’ statements, and defense lawyers will have a chance to test those accounts in court. For now, the prosecution’s narrative is that Jaylynn was injured, left untreated and then died after the people around her failed to act.
As of the latest public reports, Gaona and Hernandez remain charged in Greene County in Jaylynn’s death, and the case is moving through the early court process. The next major milestone will be additional hearings on bond and pretrial scheduling as prosecutors and defense lawyers begin litigating what evidence a jury may eventually hear.