A California dad is facing charges after his son died in a flood.
Brandon Aguilera-Padilla, 26, lost his 2-year-old son, Xavier, when their car was caught in floodwaters last month. Now, Aguilera-Padilla has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and child endangerment.
Police say Aguilera-Padilla was arrested at his home without any problems. He was initially held on a murder charge, but that was later dropped.
Prosecutors are now moving forward with the manslaughter and child endangerment charges. They say Aguilera-Padilla acted in a way that could have caused great harm or even death to his son.
Aguilera-Padilla has pleaded not guilty. His bail is set at $200,000, and a hearing is scheduled for later this month.
The police department investigated the incident for a month, talking to witnesses and gathering evidence. They say the evidence led them to arrest Aguilera-Padilla.
The incident happened on September 18 when officers were called about a car swept away by floodwaters. The car was carried into a wash, and both Aguilera-Padilla and his son were separated from the vehicle. Xavier’s aunt said that the child had autism and could not speak.
Aguilera-Padilla was found and taken to the hospital. Sadly, Xavier’s body was found the next day after a big search.
