A heartbreaking tragedy in Louisiana has turned into a criminal case after a toddler fell from a moving truck and was fatally run over — and now his mother is facing serious charges.
Police say 22-year-old Elizabeth Aguilar has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide, along with failing to properly restrain a child and driving without insurance or registration. The devastating incident happened late in the morning on February 20 near an Amazon facility in Baton Rouge.
According to investigators, Aguilar was turning out of a Murphy USA gas station parking lot around 11:20 a.m. when her 1-year-old son, Nicholas Aguilar, suddenly fell out of the truck. Authorities say the child was sitting in the back seat without a car seat when the door opened during the turn.
In a horrifying sequence of events, the toddler was then run over by the truck’s rear tire.
Emergency responders rushed Nicholas to a nearby hospital, but he later died from his injuries.
Police say there were two adults inside the truck at the time, along with at least one other child — also unrestrained. While the vehicle was equipped with child safety locks, investigators say they were not being used.
What began as a traffic investigation quickly escalated as more details came to light. In the weeks that followed, authorities moved forward with criminal charges.
Aguilar was taken into custody on Tuesday. The case remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, the child’s grieving family is trying to cope with the unimaginable loss. A GoFundMe set up in Nicholas’ memory describes the pain as overwhelming, with relatives asking for support to give the little boy a proper funeral.
“Our family is heartbroken,” a family member wrote. “We want to honor his memory and say goodbye with love and dignity.”