Visalia Parents Facing Attempted Murder Charges

VISALIA – A baby is in critical condition at the hospital and his two parents are in jail on suspicion that they were responsible for causing him harm.

The man and woman, both from Visalia, were placed under arrest on Friday after police discovered that their infant had suffered from a severe head injury. Their 7-month-old son is currently a patient at Children’s Hospital Central California.

Laura Castro

Police became aware of the situation after the child was admitted to the emergency room at Kaweah Delta Medical Center around 5 p.m. on Friday with head injuries. Police from the Visalia department got involved due to the severity of those injuries.

The baby’s parents, 23-year-old Omar Licon and 24-year-old Laura Castro, were at the hospital when the police arrived. Investigators who interviewed the couple say their explanation as to how the baby got hurt didn’t add up.

Police are still investigating exactly what happened to the child. They say it is always important for them to respond in a timely manner when a case involves a child.

Omar Licon

“It’s important that we do everything we can to get to the bottom of the truth of what happened,” said Lt. Brian Winter with the Visalia Police Department.

Licon and Castro were arrested on charges of attempted murder and felony child endangerment. Licon is being held at the Tulare County Jail and Castro is being held at the Bob Wiley Detention Facility.

The child was transported from Kaweah Delta to Children’s Hospital for his care.

Read More:

Fresno Bee: Visalia Baby in Critical Condition, Parents Arrested in Attempted Murder

ABC30: Visalia Couple Arrested After Child Found Injured

Visalia Parents Facing Attempted Murder Charges was last modified: January 11th, 2019 by admin
Categories: Tulare

About Author

Elizabeth Warmerdam

Beth Warmerdam is a freelance journalist based out of Reedley. She graduated from Fresno State in 2004 with a BA in print journalism and has worked for several newspapers and magazines. In addition to writing, Beth enjoys being a stay-at-home mom, trying to keep up with her 2-year-old son, Zachary.