Family of murdered child fights for justice

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The family of a 22-month-old Albuquerque girl allegedly killed by her mother's boyfriend marched in front of the District Court Tuesday trying to bring awareness to the case.

Emma Rose Gonzales was found unresponsive on Nov. 16. Doctors later determined she had suffered a brain bleed, retinal hemorrhages and severe trauma to her abdomen.

The mother's boyfriend, Daniel Aragón, was later charged and indicted for child abuse resulting in death. The mother was also initially arrested, but her charges were later dropped.

Tuesday her family marched outside District Court with signs urging the toughest sentence possible for Aragón. They also want to raise awareness about the high number of child deaths through shaken-baby syndrome and child abuse.

Emma's grandmother Tracey Martin says they didn't see signs in this case but wish they would have.  She says her daughter, Emma's mother, lives with the guilt every day.

"She will never be the same person she was. She has to live with that inside her, 'Why didn't I see that?'" says Martin.

Emma's family says they later learned that Aragón had a criminal past including drug charges and one for child abuse for allegedly doing drugs in front of his own daughter.  Martin says had they known they never would have allowed Emma to be near him.

"It's sad, but these days it comes down to doing background checks on everybody who is in our children's lives," says Martin.