Oklahoma mother Desiree Castaneda has been arrested and charged with child neglect following the news her 12-year-old daughter gave birth to a 24-year-old man’s child.
Juan Miranda-Jara was arrested and charged with rape earlier this month when he brought the pregnant 12-year-old to a hospital. People reports that her 33-year-old mother has been arrested on counts of child neglect and enabling child sex abuse, per the Tulsa Police department.
"At the time, we received many questions along the lines of, ‘Where were the parents?’" wrote the Tulsa Police Department in a post on Facebook. "The investigation revealed that the victim's mother and family members were aware of the relationship between the victim and Miranda-Jara. The family permitted the relationship, and there are photos of the family throwing a baby shower for the victim and the suspect.”
Police initially said it was unclear whether the 12-year-old’s parents were aware of the relationship. When authorities greeted the man at the hospital after staff reported the pregnancy, Miranda-Jara admitted he was the biological father of the baby.
Miranda-Jara allegedly walked into the hospital “just like any other couple would be excited to deliver their newborn child,” said a Tulsa Police Department officer. “The victim was at the hospital and was in labor delivering his child at the time.” He was charged with first-degree rape of a minor, and a public defender entered a not guilty plea for him at his arraignment.
Per the TPD’s latest statement, Miranda-Jara is in prison serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree rape unrelated to the current case. A preliminary hearing for the current case is scheduled for Aug. 26, and it’s expected that he could face more time behind bars if found guilty.
