One-year-old David Curiel of Chowchilla, California died on January 11, 2017 after his three-year-old sister accessed an unsecured, loaded handgun and accidentally shot him. The death was treated as a criminal matter tied to the firearm being left accessible to children.

David’s mother, Erica Bautista, a 16-year employee at Valley State Prison, was charged by the Madera County District Attorney David A. Linn with manslaughter and child abuse; four criminal complaints were filed alleging she failed to secure the firearm. Following the incident, the three-year-old was removed from Bautista’s custody and placed with the child’s father and paternal grandmother.

The case drew attention in Chowchilla to firearm safety and parental responsibility. If anyone has information about the family or the circumstances that led to the shooting, please share what you know.