Yuma mother pleads guilty in toddler's death case, faces prison term

Angelina Vasquez’s guilty plea moved one of Yuma’s most heartbreaking cases toward sentencing and left her boyfriend, Miguel Garcia, to face a June 9 trial in the death of 2-year-old Kano Aguerro.

Vasquez, 21, pleaded guilty on April 15 to child abuse resulting in death. KYMA reported that she faces a presumptive sentence of 17 years in prison, with a possible range of 10 to 24 years, and that her sentencing is scheduled for next month. In court, Ethan Aguerro, Kano’s father, became emotional when Vasquez entered her plea.

The plea changes the shape of the case, but it does not close it. Garcia, 24, has pleaded not guilty and remains set for trial, keeping the prosecution active more than a year after the child’s death first drew police and court attention in Yuma. Vasquez and Garcia had previously been formally charged in June 2025 with first-degree murder, child abuse and abandoning or concealing body parts.

The case began with a missing-child report in March 2025 and escalated when Yuma police found human remains on May 30, 2025, at a home near 25th Street and Carolyn Way, close to Arizona Western College. Police later announced arrests after the remains were discovered. The Arizona Department of Child Safety later identified Kano Aguerro as the victim, said the date of fatality was May 30, 2025, and determined on January 20, 2026, that the death resulted from abuse or neglect.

Child welfare authorities said there were no services being provided to the family at the time and no prior Department of Child Safety involvement in the previous five years involving Vasquez, Garcia or Kano’s father. That detail has added to the community’s focus on what was known before the child died and how the case went unnoticed until the remains were found.

The death also prompted a public response in Yuma County. A candlelight vigil for Kano was held in June 2025, reflecting how widely the case shook neighbors and families across the area. Under Arizona law, child abuse cases that result in death or serious harm can carry steep penalties, and the presumptive prison term reported in Vasquez’s case signals that a lengthy sentence is likely when she returns to court next month.