California parents convicted of child abuse that led to 5-year-old becoming quadriplegic

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - A California mother and father have been convicted of felony child abuse and endangerment after their newborn son suffered severe brain damage and became a quadriplegic due to extreme heat and cold exposure and withheld nourishment. 

What we know:

John Andres Gonzalez, 38, and Jaqueline Navarro, 45, both of Lindsay in Tulare County, have been convicted of one felony count of child abuse and endangerment and one felony enhancement of causing great bodily injury to a child under the age of five years old. 

The child's paternal grandmother, Patrizia Sanchez, was awarded custody of the child. 

Sanchez began contacting the Tulare County Department of Child Welfare Services in October 2019, when the infant was one month old, reporting concerns about his welfare. She continued to report the child's suffering 14 more times over several months. 

"Within weeks of their son’s birth began putting the infant in high-temperature saunas and ice baths and refused to feed the baby formula or breast milk because they believed it was toxic," a statement from the district attorney read.

Tulare County was later ordered to pay $32 million to settle a lawsuit for its failure to protect the baby from malnourishment.

On August 1, 2020, Gonzalez and Navarro brought their unresponsive 10-month-old son to the Hoag Hospital Emergency Room in Newport Beach. 

Doctors found the baby was gray, emaciated, catatonic, had extremely low blood sugar levels, and suffered from hypoxia and constant seizures. After being transferred to Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), the medical director of the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Team (SCAN) determined the baby had not been fed properly, leading to his severe condition.

Investigators learned that Gonzalez and Navarro are vegan mucus-free fruitarians and had only fed the baby soy-based baby formula, fruits, and vegetables. 

During the infant's hospitalization in August, Gonzalez objected to many life-saving treatments, stating his belief that starvation would lead to healing. 

The boy, now five years old, continues to suffer permanent neurological damage, remaining a quadriplegic, blind, and unable to walk, talk, or eat on his own.

What they're saying:

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer commented on the tragic outcome, stating, "This innocent child suffered from almost the first breath he took because of his parents’ beliefs that starvation would cure him. Instead of curing him, they robbed him of his sight, his ability to take his first steps, to say his first words, and his chance to see the world through the eyes of a child who is seeing everything for the first time. Tragically, he will never get to experience any of those milestones because his parents starved him nearly to death instead of giving him the nourishment he so desperately needed."

What's next:

John Andres Gonzalez and Jaqueline Navarro are scheduled to be sentenced on July 25 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

They each face a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.

Both Gonzalez and Navarro are currently being held without bail.