A New Orleans mother, Hilda Vasquez (34), has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide and second‑degree cruelty to juveniles following the death of her 12-year-old nonverbal son, Bryan Vasquez, who was killed by an alligator. Bryan, who suffered from a neurodevelopmental condition, escaped through an unsecured window on August 14, wearing only a diaper, and was last seen wandering near their home—his body was discovered nearly two weeks later in a nearby lagoon. Authorities allege Vasquez repeatedly failed to secure her home despite warnings and a history of neglect, including a previous conviction for abusing Bryan as an infant. Investigators say this long-standing pattern of abuse and neglect led to his untimely and violent death by drowning and blunt-force trauma caused by an alligator.