HOUSTON – The mother of a boy known as “Little Jacob,” whose body was found on a Galveston beach on Oct. 20, 2017, was indicted Tuesday, sources confirmed.
Rebecca Rivera, 34, has been charged with first-degree serious injury to a child by omission and second-degree tampering with physical evidence.
Galveston police Chief Vernon Hale said the boy was identified as 4-year-old Jayden Lopez, of Houston, after investigators released an edited crime scene photo that showed the boy’s face.
After the boy was identified, investigators determined the boy was in the care of his mother, identified as Rivera, and her girlfriend, Dania Amezquita Gomez, 31, at the time of his death, Hale said.
Investigators said Jayden did not drown, and they are still trying to determine his cause of death. They said he showed signs of neglect.
Gomez was also charged with tampering or fabricating evidence.
Rivera is being held on $250,000 bond, while Gomez is being held on $100,000 bond in the Galveston County Jail. If convicted, Rivera faces up to 99 years or life in prison for injury to a child and up to 20 years for tampering with physical evidence.
Here's a timeline of the case:
