12yo Louisiana boy killed by alligator after fleeing abusive home, cops allege

Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of child abuse. Please take care while reading.

The New Orleans community is shocked after 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez was found dead in a lagoon after reportedly fleeing his home due to alleged abuse. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed that Bryan died from “blunt force trauma due to an alligator and drowning.”

Bryan’s mother, Hilda Vasquez, reported her son missing on August 14, 2025. Reportedly, Bryan was nonverbal and had a neurodevelopmental disorder, which court records indicate stemmed from the 2014 abuse. Surveillance footage showed him leaving his bedroom window in the early morning hours, wearing only a diaper.

Despite the alarming circumstances, authorities did not respond to the missing child report until five hours later. His body was discovered nearly two weeks after that, on August 26, in a lagoon near his home in New Orleans East.

Bryan Vasquez death: What happened?

Detectives allege that on the evening of August 13, Hilda administered a sleep aid to Bryan at approximately 8 p.m. Around 3 a.m. the following morning, she woke to care for her newborn and found Bryan in the kitchen searching for food. She guided him back to his sister’s room to sleep.

Later that morning, she left her children alone at home while she took one of Bryan’s siblings to school. Upon returning, she did not check on Bryan and went straight to her bedroom. It wasn’t until around 10 a.m. that she discovered Bryan was missing, leading to a days-long search that ended with his body being found in a lagoon on August 26.

Court records reveal a troubling history of abuse involving Bryan’s mother. In 2013, when Bryan was just three months old, he was hospitalized with severe injuries, including a fractured skull, broken legs, and a collapsed lung.

Medical professionals determined these injuries were consistent with child abuse. Hilda was charged with cruelty to a juvenile, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to five years in prison. Her sentence was later reduced to probation. Despite these convictions, Bryan was returned to her custody.

Hilda Vasquez’s charges

The New Orleans Police Department has charged Hilda with negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to juveniles in connection with Bryan’s death. Authorities allege a pattern of negligence and abuse over Bryan’s 12 years. Hilda is currently held at the Orleans Parish Prison. Reports indicate that she intended to hire her own attorney rather than a public defender.

The circumstances surrounding Bryan’s death have raised questions about the timeliness and effectiveness of law enforcement’s response. The five-hour delay between the missing child report and the police response has been described as “inordinate” by New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. The department is reviewing this delay as part of its ongoing investigation