An Orange County woman was sentenced to prison for brutally beating her 2-year-old stepson and leaving him paralyzed with severe brain damage.
Noelia Ayala, 24, of Garden Grove, was convicted of beating the toddler into a coma, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said Ayala assaulted the child because she was upset the boy’s father was gone for long periods of time and had spoken about the boy’s mother.
On Aug. 23, 2019, paramedics responded to Ayala’s home on reports the boy had been vomiting blood and falling in and out of consciousness.
The toddler was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County where doctors discovered he had bleeding on his brain, extensive bruising on his face, arms, legs, back and genitals, apparent bite marks on his lips, and a cut to the back of his head.
“The bleeding on his brain was so severe that he had blood coming out of his ears and had to be rushed into emergency surgery where part of his skull was removed,” court documents said.
The boy’s father, Alberto Aragon, 36, told hospital staff his son was injured after falling down at the pool.
However, doctors determined the child’s injuries were in “various stages of healing and had occurred over a period of time.”
Both Ayala and Aragon were arrested at the scene.
The boy, who is now 7 years old, was left with permanent paralysis on his left side, along with severe brain damage, the DA’s office said.
In July 2024, the boy’s stepmother, Ayala, was convicted by a jury of attempted torture, assault resulting in a comatose state or paralysis of a child under the age of 8, and two felony enhancements of causing great bodily injury on a child under five.
On Aug. 16, she was sentenced to 12 years to life plus an additional seven years in prison.
The boy’s father, Aragon, was charged with one count of felony child abuse and endangerment for the delay in providing medical care to his injured son. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to six years in prison.
“The image of the two-year-old’s Spider-Man sheet soaked in blood as a result of a stepmother’s beating is something that will never leave you,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This little boy was a happy, healthy two-year-old until he was left alone in the arms of a sadistic stepmother who used him as a punching bag to take out her anger over the issues in her relationship. The miracle workers at CHOC have rescued another defenseless child from the brink of death after being subjected to unspeakable violence by the very people who are supposed to protect these children. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will never stop fighting to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”