Zillyana Nalaia Thornton was a 22-month-old girl who died after being shot inside her Waco, Texas, home on May 11, 2022. The shooting occurred around 3 p.m. at a residence on Alta Vista Drive. Zillyana was found with gunshot wounds and died shortly after being taken to the hospital.

Investigators determined the firearm used belonged to family member Elias Espinosa, who had left the gun unsecured on a couch. The gun had been reported stolen from Corpus Christi before the shooting. Espinosa was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence and later faced additional murder charges tied to child endangerment. Zillyana’s father, Jaylon Thornton, delayed seeking medical attention and instead secured a backpack of marijuana; he later turned himself in and was charged with injury to a child by omission.

The Waco Police Department stressed securing firearms to prevent similar tragedies. Does anyone have information about the household or the events that afternoon that could help the investigation?