Zion mother pleads not guilty to child endangerment in death of infant
A 19-year-old Zion woman pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of child endangerment in connection with the death of her infant son, officials said Wednesday.
Aurora Escamilla, formerly of the 2600 block of Horeb Avenue, is accused of not protecting her 5-month-old son, Ayden Salinas, from her boyfriend, Victor Salinas-Corona, 17, defense attorney Tim Briscoe of Waukegan said.
Her not guilty plea comes one day after Salinas-Corona pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of murdering the child in their home.
Ayden was pronounced dead at Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan on Feb. 27 after Salinas-Corona slammed the baby's skull against a metal crib when he wouldn't stop crying, prosecutors said.
Escamilla later told police that Salinas-Corona had hurt the child in the past, but that she continued to leave the baby in his care and did not tell anyone, prosecutors said.
Salinas-Corona remains in Lake County jail on $2 million bond. Escamilla is free of jail after posting the required 10 percent of her $100,000 bond.
Briscoe said Escamilla is due back in court May 23, and the trial in her case is tentatively scheduled for June 10.