In the fall of 2008 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a young Hispanic female named Zully Jasmine Antonio-Velazquez, only six weeks old, met a tragic and untimely end. Her life was cut short not by a random act of violence, but within the supposed safety of her own home on the city's south side. The events leading to her death began on September 18, 2008, when her mother, Manuela Velazquez-Rodriguez, reportedly became frustrated because the infant would not eat.
According to statements made to
investigators, in a moment of frustration, Velazquez-Rodriguez admitted to shaking her daughter. However, the severity of the infant's injuries told a much grimmer story. An autopsy would later reveal that Zully died from blunt force trauma, indicating a level of violence far exceeding simple shaking. After the baby stopped breathing, her mother did not seek medical help. Instead, she kept the deceased child in her home in the 3300 block of W. Scott St. for two days.
The grim discovery of Zully’s death led to an investigation and ultimately to the arrest of her mother. Manuela Velazquez-Rodriguez, who was 39 years old at the time, was taken into custody and subsequently charged with second-degree reckless homicide. The charges, filed in late September 2008, marked a somber conclusion to a heartbreaking case of fatal child abuse, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a life that had barely begun.
