Orange County woman who left her 2-year-old stepson paralyzed sentenced to prison

An Orange County woman who beat her two-year-old stepson so badly that he suffered severe brain damage and permanent paralysis on the left side of his body was sentenced Friday to 12 to life plus seven years in prison.

Noelia Ayala, 24, left the toddler in a coma five years ago, resulting in life-changing injuries. It was a brutal case of child abuse that his father tried to cover up. Alberto Aragon, the child's 36-year-old father, initially said his son's injuries were the result of a fall in a swimming pool, but doctors concluded that was not possible because all of the injuries were in different stages of healing.

They could see that the serious injuries had occurred over a long period of time.

Last month, a jury found Ayala guilty on one count of torture, one count of assault causing coma or paralysis to a child under eight years of age, and two counts of aggravated assault on a child under five years of age.

Aragon faces up to six years in prison if found guilty of child abuse and endangerment charges against him for allegedly delaying much-needed medical care for his two-year-old son.

According to prosecutors, Ayala brutally beat the boy because she was angry that Aragon was away for long periods of time and was talking about the child's mother.

On August 13, 2019, paramedics arrived at the family's Garden Grove home to find the toddler repeatedly losing consciousness and vomiting blood. Doctors at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) later determined that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage so severe that blood was coming out of his ears and he had to be rushed into emergency surgery.

He also had severe bruising all over his body, including his face, arms and back, and he had bite marks on his lips and a cut on his head. However, the person responsible for his life-changing injuries, which authorities say left him disabled, was not arrested for years.

According to Garden Grove police, Ayala used a false name when she had a $1 million warrant out for her arrest as a wanted person. Investigators were told that the Orange County District Attorney's Office tried to track her down in late January 2022. That same week, they found her working at a fast-food restaurant in Irvine after following up on a tip.

It had been more than years since the two-year-old victim had been admitted to the emergency room.

In a statement, District Attorney Todd Spitzer described Ayala as “sadistic” and said she treated the victim like a “punching bag.”

“The miracle workers at CHOC have saved another defenseless child from death after being subjected to unspeakable violence by the very people who are supposed to protect these children,” Spitzer said.