Albuquerque couple charged with child abuse in death of 3-month-old

An Albuquerque couple was arrested Monday after their 3-month-old daughter was found unresponsive in Northeast Albuquerque, allegedly after being physically abused and exposed to drugs.

Three days after being taken to the hospital with severe injuries, the child — identified as Mika Castillo — died, according to a news release sent by Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos on Thursday.

Johnathan Castillo, 23, is charged with child abuse, tampering with evidence, and aggravated battery on a household member.

Jessica Brusuelas, 26, is charged with reckless child abuse resulting in great bodily harm and failure to report child abuse.

The parents were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Tuesday. It is unknown if either has an attorney.

Gallegos said because of the infant’s death, APD will work with the District Attorney’s Office to upgrade the criminal charges.

Officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Madeira on Monday to a call regarding an infant who was unresponsive. Brusuelas told police the infant had fallen off the bed, but Castillo told firefighters that the child had fallen off the couch and choked on her bottle, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Police said the baby was seen at the University of New Mexico Hospital and medical staff found the child had multiple brain hemorrhages in different healing stages, a fractured skull and extensive bruising to the head.

“Medical personnel stated (the infant) was in critical condition and not expected to survive the night,” the complaint stated.

Brusuelas told police that Castillo, who had been staying with her for the week, had used fentanyl and methamphetamine in the apartment. She said Castillo would become agitated by the infant’s crying and would slap, spank and hit her across the face and on her head, according to the complaint.

Police said the woman told them Castillo began hitting the infant when she was 2 months old.

Around 1 a.m., Brusuelas told police the baby wouldn’t eat and Castillo hit the girl multiple times until she went to sleep, the complaint states. Brusuelas said she noticed she was “moving less and seemed to have trouble breathing.”

Police said Brusuelas told them she took a nap around 2 p.m. and when she woke up, Castillo told Brusuelas the infant had fallen off the couch and wasn’t breathing. The child also had blood around her mouth and gums.

The complaint stated Brusuelas and Castillo administered CPR and called 911 around 3 p.m., reporting that the child was choking, Gallegos said.

When AFR arrived, Castillo refused to let personnel inside and handed the baby off to AFR and shut the door after, police said.

“The paramedics determined the child’s airway was clear, but appeared to have been exposed to narcotics,” Gallegos said. “The baby showed signs of physical trauma suffered at various points of time.”

Police conducted a welfare check on Brusuelas’ 4-year-old son and noticed multiple bruises on the boy’s back, which Brusuelas said were from when Castillo “whipped” the boy with a belt while he was high on drugs, Gallegos said.

The Children, Youth and Families Department took custody of the 4-year-old.

Officers spoke with Brusuelas and noticed swelling and bruising underneath her eyes. When asked, she told police Castillo had choked her for “only a minute or two” and it often happened when he was trying to do drugs, the complaint stated.

Police spoke with Castillo, who denied ever hitting Brusuelas or the children and said he had never disciplined the children in any way. He told police he had placed a neck pillow around the infant because she “had a habit of falling forward,” according to the complaint.

Police said Castillo told them he saw the baby was about to fall off the couch but was only able to catch her leg, so the child’s head hit the floor.

Officers asked Castillo if he had ever done drugs before and Castillo told them he had smoked fentanyl a day earlier, according to the complaint. Castillo said the last time he had done meth was in 2018.