Mom Lit Daughters Ears On Fire With Her Week Long Diarrhea Diaper On

Mom Lit Daughters Ears On Fire With Her Week Long Diarrhea Diaper On

On Sunday, March 22nd, 2009, at 5:54 p.m., Visalia Police Detective Jared Hughes was dispatched to investigate a report of a non-breathing child. Hughes arrived at the location two minutes later and saw a man—this man was Ryan Jones—running out of an apartment complex holding a child. The child’s name was Nataline; she was three years old.

Ryan followed Hughes’s instruction to place the child down on the grass. Hughes found Nataline’s skin cool to the touch and her face was pale. Nataline had no pulse, was soaking wet from head to toe, and had bruising on her head, shoulder, and both wrists.

Sergeant Randy Letner arrived and performed CPR using a breathing mask to cover Nataline’s face. They achieved a faint pulse. Letner gave a few breaths to Nataline until he saw her chest rise. Paramedics arrived within a minute and took over her care. When the paramedics cut off Nataline’s clothing, Hughes saw further bruising on her chest, forehead, back, thighs, ankles, and left nostril. Nataline was declared dead at 6:13 p.m.

The mother of Nataline was Nicole Lee. She spoke with Jared Hughes at the hospital. Nicole was aware of a bruise to the child’s head and shoulder. Nicole could not account for the additional bruises and said that prior to her death, Nataline was perfectly healthy and was not under a doctor’s care. Ryan himself arrived at the hospital, and Jared Hughes took Nicole and Ryan to the room to see Nataline. Nicole was very distraught when she first saw Nataline’s body, and she carefully examined her head. She turned to Ryan and said, “What is this, Ryan?” knowing that Ryan had done something wrong.

Now, the coroner also said there was significant evidence of trauma in the form of blood and internal bruising to Nataline’s colon, bowel, abdomen, and spine. Along her colon, there was bleeding into her tissues. These injuries could not have been inflicted by Nataline to herself because of the force required to produce them; the abdominal trauma required a sharp object.

There was also trauma to Nataline’s brain. There was substantial subgaleal bleeding between Nataline’s scalp and skull. Inside her skull, there was extensive bleeding under the dura mater. There was bleeding to the thin membrane surrounding Nataline’s brain and to her occipital lobe. The bleeding was red, indicating fresh wounds. The hemorrhaging to Nataline’s brain was acute and was not caused by old subdural hematomas. Her cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and abdominal trauma. Nataline also suffered exterior chest trauma. Nataline herself was alive when she received these injuries, which occurred within minutes or a few hours of each other.

Now, Nataline herself did experience a history of abuse, and this is why police suspected both Nicole and Ryan, even though Nicole was not at home during this session of abuse. So let’s go back to 2001. Troy Miller, who was the biological father of Nataline, and Nicole started dating between 2000 and 2001. They later became engaged. Nataline was born in the summer of 2005. Miller and Nicole ended their relationship in 2007 when Nataline was nearly two years old. Miller shared custody of Nataline and had her with him for two weekdays and every other weekend.

Now, in October 2008, Nataline began to mention Nicole had a new boyfriend whom Nataline, the child, called “Riri.” Miller learned from Nicole that she was dating Ryan—as in Ryan Jones. Now, at the beginning of Nicole’s relationship with Ryan, Nataline did not express an opinion about him one way or the other, but toward the end of 2008, Miller began to notice that she had bruises and other injuries.

Nataline complained of pain and told her father, Miller, that Ryan fought with her. Miller became angry when Nataline demonstrated fist motions to him. When Miller touched the bruise to make sure there were no underlying lumps, Nataline winced in pain. The bruises were brown, appearing to be a couple of days old. Miller himself called Nicole to raise his concerns. Nicole told him that Ryan and Nataline were just playing. Miller replied that if Ryan could not control his strength playing with a child and causing her painful injuries, then Nicole and Ryan should stop playing with her. Nicole said, “All right, fine. I’ll check into it.” Of course, she never did.

Miller also noticed that Nataline had little red bumps and bruising on her bottom. This baffled him because Nataline had been potty trained since she was two years old. Miller could not get Nataline to tell him what happened; she became upset when he raised the subject and refused to talk about it. Nicole told Miller that Nataline soiled herself, but Miller did not believe her.

Now, in October 2008, Miller observed knuckle marks on Nataline’s chest. When asked about these, Nataline told Miller that Ryan fights with her, and she again demonstrated the hand motions. Nataline described an incident in which Ryan had tossed her into a laundry sink—huh, what? Nataline demonstrated this using a throwing motion. When Miller asked Nicole about the incident, Nicole said Nataline had been twirling and fell into a box. Well, yeah, because that happens every day, right? As Nataline was describing the incident, she would put her head down and start crying.

In December 2008, Miller saw a strawberry mark on Nataline’s right shoulder blade. Nataline told him she fell off her bike when she was with Ryan. Now, on March 18th, 2009, Nicole called Miller and told him she was bringing Nataline over with a bruise on her head. Nataline told Miller she got the bruise by running into a door—again, because that happens every day, right? After spending the day with Miller, Nataline told him she wanted to live with him and did not want to live with Nicole anymore. Miller received a text from Nicole asking if Nataline could spend the night with him. Miller, of course, agreed. Nataline became very excited. Miller helped Nataline with her bath that evening and saw no injuries.

The next morning, on March 19th, Nataline begged Miller to let her stay with him. When Nicole arrived to pick her up, Nataline ran and hid. Miller eventually picked up Nataline and put her in Nicole’s car. Miller blew Nataline a kiss. Nataline would not look at him and cried the entire time. This was the last time Miller saw Nataline alive.

Now, on March 23rd, Nicole’s mother called Miller to inform him Nataline had died. Miller then called Nicole to ask her if Ryan had been watching Nataline when she died. Nicole said she did not need Miller asking these kinds of questions, that Miller was making it worse, and then she hung up the telephone. When Miller viewed Nataline at the hospital, he saw bruises all over her body, including her chest, head, and back. Miller believed someone took his daughter’s life.

Now, in the trial, Jessica Rosalez stated she was a friend of Nicole, and she first met her in 2001. Rosalez was also a friend of Miller. Rosalez had known Nataline since her birth and considered herself to be like a second mother to her. After Nicole started dating Ryan, Rosalez also noticed bruising on Nataline. Nataline told Rosalez she was with Ryan when she was injured. Rosalez saw a bruise and a cut on Nataline’s left cheek in 2008.

When Rosalez noticed another bruise to Nataline’s cheek, she asked Nataline what happened. Nataline then put her head down and said she was with Ryan, but she could not remember how she got it. In December 2008, Rosalez noticed Nataline had another bruise on her face, a cut on her cheek, and a swollen lip. When Rosalez asked Nataline, “Okay, well what happened this time?” Nataline said, “I can’t tell you because Mommy will get mad.”

In February 2009, Rosalez noticed Nataline’s ears were red and crusty. Nataline would not tell Rosalez how it happened. Rosalez then texted Nicole to find out what happened and what was wrong with her ears, but Nicole never replied. Nataline later told Rosalez she and Ryan were playing rough. Rosalez took Nataline to a family clinic to have her ears examined. After communicating this to Nicole, Nicole told Rosalez that Ryan had burned Nataline’s ears while blow-drying her hair. What? Nicole said she would talk to Ryan about the injuries.

Now think about that for a second. I don’t have much hair anymore, but I have used the blow dryer before. So you’re using the blow dryer, and if you do get the blow dryer on your ear, or if it’s pointing towards your ear for a while, it might get hot. You’ll feel pain. Naturally speaking, your instinct is just to move your hand away and focus it back on the hair—you know what I’m saying, right? So for her to get a burn mark on her ears, he must have held it deliberately for a long time. Otherwise, that split second where you feel the pain in your ear, your natural instinct is to move it away, and then you won’t get a burn mark because you’re not there long enough. You see what I’m saying?

There were also times when Rosalez would observe Nicole forcing Nataline to go to Ryan’s home. Nataline would start to cry, so Rosalez would offer to have Nataline stay with her. On one occasion, Nicole grabbed Nataline, told Nataline to go with her, and said Nataline needed to get used to him. Nataline replied she did not want to go to that monster’s house.

Furthermore, regarding these burnt ears, the medical assistant who examined her ears at the Family Clinic described Nataline’s injuries as very red, like fresh wounds on the top part and along the back of both ears. They also found a fresh wound on the back of Nataline’s shoulder. When asked about her injuries, Nataline looked very scared and said she did not know how they happened.

Now, because Rosalez was moving to Texas, Nicole and Nataline moved into their own apartment in March 2009. Ryan then started living with them. On March 7th, Nicole was going to bring Nataline over to Rosalez’s, but called and said Nataline had fallen off her crib. Ryan brought Nataline to Rosalez’s apartment at 12:30 p.m. On March 7th, Nataline had a large bruise on the right side of her head; she was lethargic and looked tired. Nataline said she did not remember what happened. When Rosalez texted Nicole to ask whether Nataline should be taken to the emergency room, Nicole replied no, it was okay, and Rosalez should not let Nataline sleep for more than 30 minutes. When Nicole picked up Nataline later that day, Rosalez told her she was very worried about Nataline’s safety and could watch her until Rosalez moved to Texas.

Now, on March 20th, 2009, the weekend before Rosalez’s move, Rosalez took Nataline to a friend’s house to watch a movie. Nicole sent a text to Rosalez saying she wanted to pick up Nataline. Rosalez thought Nataline was staying with her that evening. Rosalez met Nicole and Ryan at her home and had an argument with Ryan regarding the bruises, but later Nicole sent a text to Rosalez stating, “This is my daughter, so don’t pick fights.”

And it was later the following day, on March 23rd, 2009, that Rosalez learned Nataline was dead. Rosalez immediately called Nicole and asked why she had not called her. Nicole replied it was because Rosalez would blame Ryan. She said to Rosalez that Nataline fell down in her room and Ryan found her on the floor with her eyes rolled back. What an idiot! This lying rat—all this cover for Ryan, huh? Why?

Now, more evidence that was submitted during the trial: You see, in late February 2009, Sabrina Cardenas worked as a cashier at a McDonald’s. (Now, on a side note, I would never take my son to McDonald’s; I wouldn’t feed that shit to a pig.) Sabrina noticed the little girl was crying, and Ryan yelled at her multiple times to be quiet. The first four times, Ryan told Nataline, “Shut the fuck up!” Again, disgraceful—I’ve never sworn at my children, and I never will. Ryan pounded the table and leaned forward toward Nataline in a confrontational manner. Nicole sat quietly, saying nothing to Ryan. Nataline cried for another 5 to 10 minutes. Sabrina never saw Nicole move to comfort Nataline. Sabrina did not reach out to investigators immediately after Nataline died because she assumed her supervisor had.

In fact, there were more incidents in McDonald’s. In the early evening sometime in 2009, Deborah Bence took her three grandchildren to McDonald’s. Sabrina and Deborah are just witnesses to the abuse that this poor girl was receiving. Bence and her grandchildren were sitting in a booth next to and facing the booth occupied by Nicole, Nataline, and Ryan. Ryan’s hand was almost touching Nataline’s head; Bence feared Ryan was going to abuse the child and nearly called the police. Nataline looked very scared. Nicole did nothing during the incident and did not try to comfort Nataline.

Now, investigators recorded three jail conversations between Ryan and Nicole after he was arrested. These recordings were played for the jury, and the jury was provided with a transcript of the conversation. During the first conversation, Nicole talked to Ryan about Nataline’s funeral, which, of course, he couldn’t attend as he was under arrest. Nicole told Ryan he was represented at the funeral with photographs of him with Nataline. Nicole professed her love for Ryan multiple times during their conversation. She told Ryan she was so sorry that he was going through this and everybody is pulling for him: “Please, please, just stay positive.” What? During the second conversation between her and Ryan, she told him she loves him. During the third conversation, they discussed her upcoming visit to the jail. She told Ryan she missed him. She said, “I’m with you 100%. I love you.”

Now, in the trial, there was also testimony given by Nicole’s co-workers. Lisa, one of the co-workers, worked with Nicole at a clothing store in Visalia. The two women discussed their personal lives with each other. Nicole told Lisa that Nataline did not want to stay with Ryan. Nicole did not know what to do; she told Lisa that Ryan wanted to break up with her because she would not let him babysit Nataline. She told Lisa that on one occasion when she was with Ryan, Nataline kept her diaper on all day even though she had diarrhea. Wow. Lisa told Nicole that little girls don’t sit in their poop all day and that Nicole should be alarmed.

Once, Lisa saw a bruise on Nataline’s cheek, and the inside of her mouth was cut. She asked Nicole what happened, and Nicole said, “Oh, Nataline had a nightmare.” In December 2008, Lisa was watching a news program reporting a young mother who had been imprisoned because her son was killed by her boyfriend. She told Nicole about the program. Nicole told Lisa that Ryan was a good person and she was not worried about Nataline. Lisa told Nicole she did not trust Ryan and Nicole needed to wake up. Lisa also told the jury that Nicole came to work one day upset that Ryan had broken up with her because she would not let him babysit Nataline. Nicole felt she had a conflict—well, duh! Lisa asked Nicole, “What 26-year-old man wants to babysit a child anyway?” Lisa told Nicole it was a good thing she finally saw the light and would not leave Nataline with Ryan.

In the trial, you also had Jennifer Anderson, another co-worker who worked with Nicole at this clothing store. Jennifer met Ryan a few times and was Nicole’s friend. In December 2008, Nicole reported to Jennifer that Nataline was having accidents—Nataline was peeing in her pants. Jennifer, however, found that this was strange for a child who had been potty trained. Jennifer thought this could have been a sign Nataline was under stress. In fact, one time during the holidays, Ryan dropped off Nataline at the clothing store, and Jennifer saw a small bruise on Nataline’s cheek and a gash on the inside of her lip. Ryan said he did not know how Nataline was injured. Of course, at first, Nataline did not respond to Nicole’s questions about how she was injured. Later, Nicole told Jennifer Nataline told her she had a dream about a monster. Jennifer did not believe Nicole. Nicole told Jennifer that Nataline did not like Ryan. Nicole thought it strange a child so young would dislike someone. Nicole then told her supervisor, Nancy Phillips, that Ryan once broke up with her because he was jealous of the amount of time she spent with Nataline.

Now, the day after Nataline died, Nicole called Nancy and told her Nataline had been running around, ran into a wall, and Ryan had found her unconscious. What are all these lies? What kind of stupid stories are these?

So to conclude on this story: In 2010, the judge determined there was enough evidence to charge Ryan Jones for murdering his girlfriend’s three-year-old daughter. Many friends and relatives of Nataline believe she was killed at the hands of Ryan Jones. They wept as they heard the coroner’s descriptions. The district attorney, Shani Jenkins, said, “When you’re dealing with a case where a child is a victim, it’s extremely emotional for everybody involved—not only the victim’s family, but even the defendant’s family.” In total, Dr. Burt Harmen identified more than 32 bruises from photos he took during Nataline’s autopsy, many of which he says led to her death.

Five months after the crime, Nicole was also arrested on child abuse charges. Prosecutors say she knew Ryan was abusing her daughter and did nothing to stop it. Detectives say the three-year-old suffered and then died from severe injuries while under the care of Nicole’s boyfriend, Ryan Jones. But in court, Ryan’s attorney angrily questioned why the coroner didn’t take physical samples of Nataline’s injuries, adding they could have been sustained from her father or where Ryan was performing CPR on the child.

Ryan and Nicole had a large group of family and friends in court supporting them. Ryan Jones’s attorney, Mark Coleman, said, “My client is saying that she fell and that her head made contact with the floor, and he tried desperately to save her, and he had nothing to do with her death.”

The judge allowed statements made by Nataline. So Nicole Lee was found guilty of felony child endangerment causing the death of her daughter. During the sentencing, Nicole’s attorney requested a new trial based on statements by her deceased daughter, Nataline—Nataline telling her father and other people she did not like Ryan that was allowed to be introduced as evidence. The prosecutor argued against the new trial, saying Nicole wanted a future with Ryan at the expense of her daughter, and the judge denied a retrial.

In the end, Nicole was sentenced to 8 years in prison for child endangerment. She was handcuffed in court and taken into custody. Now, I’ve been to the California Department of Corrections website; I cannot find her name anywhere, so I think she may have been released. As for Ryan himself, he was sentenced to 25 years and is currently eligible for parole in 2028—and I say he should not be eligible in 2058, let alone 2028.

Another sad story of a child that could have been saved. The mother did nothing. The boyfriend did not care. I say lock them both up and throw away the key.