A California mother and stepfather are facing felony child neglect charges after their 8-year-old daughter died following a severe asthma attack. Prosecutors allege Gabrielle Hanson, 32, and Jacob Randolph, 39, waited eight hours before seeking medical help for Aurora, who was struggling to breathe inside their San Jose home.
Emergency crews were called to the house on May 13. Aurora was in serious medical distress when they arrived and was taken to a local hospital. She died four days later, on May 17. According to Us Weekly, a medical examiner ruled Aurora’s death a homicide in September after an autopsy and forensic review. The report attributed her death to a lack of oxygen to the brain caused by severe asthma and acute lung injury, with an underlying rhinovirus/enterovirus infection also present. Medical neglect was listed as a contributing factor.
The investigation into Aurora’s death brought attention to the conditions in which she and her six siblings had been living. Police reportedly found extensive mold, cockroaches, piles of garbage and pet feces throughout the family’s home. The children ranged in age from a two-month-old infant to a 17-year-old teenager. Aurora’s respiratory equipment was reportedly in poor condition, too. Investigators found cockroaches inside her medical mask, which she relied on to manage her breathing difficulties.
Aurora’s six surviving siblings have since been placed in protective custody
But concerns about Aurora’s welfare went back years before the emergency call that preceded her death. Evidence compiled by the District Attorney’s Office indicates that social service agencies, school staff and medical professionals had been monitoring the family’s circumstances since at least 2019. In February 2025, a relative took Aurora to an emergency room after she experienced breathing difficulties. Medical staff reportedly noted that a bug fell from her shoe and that a live cockroach was crawling across her body during the examination.
When hospital workers asked Aurora about the insects, she reportedly told them, “Oh yeah, bugs just crawl on me.” Records from that visit described Aurora as severely underweight and pale. She also reportedly smelled strongly of cat urine and told the staff she was hungry and had not been given food. Aurora’s six surviving siblings have since been placed in protective custody with the county’s Department of Family and Children Services.
The charges remain allegations
The case involves allegations beyond neglect. Jonathan Hanson, Gabrielle’s brother, who also lived in the home, faces separate child sexual abuse charges. Gabrielle is also accused of failing to report and attempting to conceal the alleged abuse of her stepchild.
The February 2025 hospital records could become an important part of the wider discussion surrounding the case, given that they documented concerns about Aurora’s health and living conditions well before her death. The neglect charges against Hanson and Randolph remain allegations, and the case will have to proceed through the courts.
Published: Oct 15, 2026 01:45 pm